Legacy Cast Questions

GREAT QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE

• Who has been the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about him or her?
• What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
• Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
• Who has been the kindest to you in your life?
• What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
• What is your earliest memory?
• What is your favorite memory of me?
• Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind?
• Are there any funny stories or memories or characters from your life that you want to tell me about?
• What are you proudest of?
• When in life have you felt most alone?
• If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
• How has your life been different than what you’d imagined?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Do you have any regrets?
• What does your future hold?
• What are your hopes for what the future holds for me? For my children?
• If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you’d want to say to me
• For your great great grandchildren listening to this years from now: is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
• Is there anything that you’ve never told me but want to tell me now?
• Is there something about me that you’ve always wanted to know but have never asked?

FRIENDS OR COLLEAGUES

• If you could interview anyone from your life living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
• What is your first memory of me?
• Was there a time when you didn’t like me?
• What makes us such good friends?
• How would you describe me? How would you describe yourself?
• Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years?
• Do you think we’ll ever lose touch with each other?
• Is there anything that you’ve always wanted to tell me but haven’t?

GRANDPARENTS

• Where did you grow up?
• What was your childhood like?
• Who were your favorite relatives?
• Do you remember any of the stories they used to tell you?
• How did you and grandma/grandpa meet?
• What was my mom/dad like growing up?
• Do you remember any songs that you used to sing to her/him? Can you sing them now?
• Was she/he well-behaved?
• What is the worst thing she/he ever did?
• What were your parents like?
• What were your grandparents like?
• How would you like to be remembered?
• Are you proud of me?

RAISING CHILDREN

• When did you first find out that you’d be a parent? How did you feel?
• Can you describe the moment when you saw your child for the first time?
• How has being a parent changed you?
• What are your dreams for your children?
• Do you remember when your last child left home for good?
• Do you have any favorite stories about your kids?

PARENTS

• Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?
• How did you choose my name?
• What was I like as a baby? As a young child?
• Do you remember any of the songs you used to sing to me? Can you sing them now?
• What were my siblings like?
• What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up?
• If you could do everything again, would you raise me differently?
• What advice would you give me about raising my own kids?
• What are your dreams for me?
• How did you meet mom/dad?
• Are you proud of me?

GROWING UP

• When and where were you born?
• Where did you grow up?
• What was it like?
• Who were your parents?
• What were your parents like?
• How was your relationship with your parents?
• Did you get into trouble? What was the worst thing you did?
• Do you have any siblings? What were they like growing up?
• What did you look like?
• How would you describe yourself as a child? Were you happy?
• What is your best memory of childhood? Worst?
• Did you have a nickname? How’d you get it?
• Who were your best friends? What were they like?
• How would you describe a perfect day when you were young?
• What did you think your life would be like when you were older?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your childhood?

SCHOOL

• Did you enjoy school?
• What kind of student were you?
• What would you do for fun?
• How would your classmates remember you?
• Are you still friends with anyone from that time in your life?
• What are your best memories of grade school/high school/college/graduate school? Worst memories?
• Was there a teacher or teachers who had a particularly strong influence on your life? Tell me about them.
• Do you have any favorite stories from school?

TEACHERS

• When and why did you decide to become a teacher?
• Tell me about your first day as a teacher.
• How is teaching different from how you imagined it to be?
• Tell me about a time when teaching made you feel hopeful.
• What are the most challenging and/or funniest moments you’ve experienced in the classroom?
• How would you like your students to remember you?
• Was there a teacher or teachers who had a particularly strong influence on your life? What did you learn about teaching from them?
• Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of teaching?

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

• Do you have a love of your life?
• When did you first fall in love?
• Can you tell me about your first kiss?
• What was your first serious relationship?
• Do you believe in love at first sight?
• Do you ever think about previous lovers?
• What lessons have you learned from your relationships?

MARRIAGE & PARTNERSHIPS

• How did you meet your husband/wife?
• How did you know he/she was “the one”?
• How did you propose?
• What were the best times? The most difficult times?
• Did you ever think of getting divorced?
• Did you ever get divorced? Can you tell me about it?
• What advice do you have for young couples?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your marriage or about your husband/wife?

WORKING

• What do you do for a living?
• Tell me about how you got into your line of work.
• Do you like your job?
• What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What lessons has your work life taught you?
• If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
• Do you plan on retiring? If so, when? How do you feel about it?
• Do you have any favorite stories from your work life?

RELIGION

• Can you tell me about your religious beliefs/spiritual beliefs? What is your religion?
• Have you experienced any miracles?
• What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life?
• Do you believe in God?
• Do you believe in the after-life? What do you think it will be like?
• When you meet God, what do you want to say to Him?

SERIOUS ILLNESS

• Can you tell me about your illness?
• Do you think about dying? Are you scared?
• How do you imagine your death?
• Do you believe in an after-life?
• Do you regret anything?
• Do you look at your life differently now than before you were diagnosed?
• Do you have any last wishes?
• If you were to give advice to me or my children, or even children to come in our family, what would it be?
• What have you learned from life? The most important things?
• Has this illness changed you? What have you learned?
• How do you want to be remembered?

FAMILY HERITAGE

• What is your ethnic background?
• Where is your mom’s family from? Where is your dad’s family from?
• Have you ever been there? What was that experience like?
• What traditions have been passed down in your family?
• Who were your favorite relatives?
• Do you remember any of the stories they used to tell you?
• What are the classic family stories? Jokes? Songs?

MILITARY

• When were you drafted or when did you enlist?
• What do you remember about the day you enlisted?
• How did you tell your family and friends that you were joining the military? Are there any conversations that stand out from that time?
• If you enlisted, what were some of the reasons that you joined the military? How did you choose your branch of service?
• How did you imagine military life before you joined? How did your perceptions change after serving?
• What was basic training like?
• Can you describe a funny moment from boot camp?
• What are some of the things you remember about adapting to military life?
• Where did you serve during the war?
• If you deployed overseas, how did you tell your loved ones you were being deployed?
• How did you stay in touch with family and friends back home?
• What are some things you remember most about your deployment?
• If you saw multiple deployments, how did they differ from each other? How did you change?
• Can you describe how you felt coming home from combat?
• Was there anything you especially missed about civilian life?
• Is there someone you served with that you remember fondly? Can you tell me about him/her?
• What are some fun things you and your friends did together while you were deployed?
• Did any of your military friends play pranks on each other? Can you describe a funny one?
• Did you ever get caught breaking any rules? Did you ever get away with something you weren’t supposed to do?
• Did you ever learn something about a fellow service member that surprised you?
• When did you leave the military? What was that process like?
• What were your first few months out of the service like?
• Was there anything or anyone that helped you during the transition from military to civilian life?
• Do you have advice for others transitioning out of the military?
• How do you think your time in the military affected you?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• What are some of your hopes for the future?
• What phrase or word will never be the same now that you served?
• When you were first discharged, what are some things about civilians that were difficult for you to deal with?
• Is there anything you wish civilians understood about military service?
• What are some habits you developed in the service that you like? What are some that you dislike?
• What are some things you miss about being in the service? What are some you are glad to have left behind?
• What has been difficult to communicate to family and friends about your military service?
• Do you have advice for other military couples?
• If you have children, what do you want them to know about your military service?
• Remembering the Fallen: What was your relationship to _______?
• Remembering the Fallen: Tell me about _______.
• Remembering the Fallen: What did _______ look like?
• Remembering the Fallen: What is one of your favorite memories of _______?
• Remembering the Fallen: How did you find out about _______’s death?
• Remembering the Fallen: What has helped you most in your grief?
• Remembering the Fallen: Do you have any traditions to honor _______?
• Remembering the Fallen: Do you have any funny stories about the two of you together?

REMEMBERING A LOVED ONE

• What was your relationship to _____?
• Tell me about _____.
• What is your first memory of _____?
• What is your best memory of _____?
• What is your most vivid memory of _____?
• What did _____ mean to you?
• Are you comfortable/ can you talk about _____’s death? How did _____ die?
• What has been the hardest thing about losing _____?
• What would you ask _____ if _____ were here today?
• What do you miss most about _____?
• How do you think _____ would want to be remembered?
• Can you talk about the biggest obstacles _____ overcame in life?
• Was there anything you and _____ disagreed about, fought over, or experienced some conflict around?
• What about _____ makes you smile?
• What was your relationship like?
• What did _____ look like?
• Did you have any favorite jokes _____ used to tell?
• Do you have any stories you want to share about _____?
• What were _____’s hopes and dreams for the future?
• Is there something about _____ that you think no one else knows?
• How are you different now than you were before you lost _____?
• What is the image of _____ that persists?
• Do you have any traditions to honor _____?
• What has helped you the most in your grief?
• What are the hardest times?