Ruth Wilson - Be Challenged By What Disgusts You

Ruth Wilson - Be Challenged By What Disgusts You

Author: Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment November 26, 2025 Duration: 44:07
Ruth Wilson MBE has made a habit of tackling psychologically demanding roles. You’ll know her from playing a mother grieving the loss of her child in The Affair, a sociopathic research scientist in Luther or even from her acclaimed stage performances in Anna Christie and King Lear. Now, Wilson is back with Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road, based on novels by Mick Herron. She stars opposite Emma Thompson, as an art restorer swept up in a high stakes crime drama. We talk about her getting rejected from Oxford University, her failure to run the London Marathon in the way she envisaged and the power of aging naturally. Plus: how her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis has helped her live in the present. A beautiful and intelligent conversation with a phenomenally talented actor. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Introduction 02:11 The Power of Art 04:07 Working with Emma Thompson 07:04 Aging Naturally 08:57 Getting Rejected From Oxford 14:04 Grandfather Being a Spy & a Bigamist 20:21 A Very Royal Scandal 23:36: The London Marathon 31:37 Failing to Trust The Creative Process 38:30 The 24-Hour Play 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: ‘People are endlessly fascinating and surprising. They're never what you expect and you can find connections with anyone.’ ‘I think it's important to face things you don't want to see, because only then will you grow. Only then will you live properly.’ ‘Our gift as a human is to be able to think and feel. So, do it and be challenged.Be challenged by what disgusts you.’ 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: Ruth stars in Down Cemetery Road - watch on Apple TV Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ 📚 WANT MORE? Sharon Horgan - talks about drama school, auditions and a very personal failure: her marriage https://link.chtbl.com/hR7kycoN Simon Callow - reflects on how admitting vulnerability around his sexuality and ambition shaped his career and self-belief swap.fm/l/3PddGvv8lKReXT5WJRWl Gugu Mbatha-Raw - on how failing at ballet led to her succeeding at acting. Plus: resisting typecasting, dealing with difficult co-stars and how her restlessness drives her forward https://link.chtbl.com/wDCLLc94 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE? Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories 👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth: Instagram: @elizabday TikTok: @howtofailpod Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod Website: www.elizabethday.org Elizabeth and Ruth answer YOUR questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Engineer: Matias Torres Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali Producer: Nia Deo Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a quiet revolution happening in how we think about success, and How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is right at the heart of it. This isn't about schadenfreude or wallowing in misfortune. Instead, Elizabeth Day has created a space where the most interesting conversations begin with a simple, radical premise: our lowest moments are often our greatest teachers. Each episode, a guest-from celebrated artists and thinkers to everyday people with extraordinary stories-sits down to examine three significant failures from their own life. The magic lies in the excavation, as Elizabeth guides the discussion toward the unexpected wisdom and resilience that emerged from those setbacks. You'll hear the raw honesty in their voices, the laughter that comes with hindsight, and the profound clarity that failure can uniquely provide. This podcast, presented by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment, digs into the messy, human stuff of life that connects us all, transforming shared vulnerability into a source of collective strength. It’s a reminder that the path to any meaningful achievement is rarely a straight line, but a series of instructive detours. The show actively invites listeners to reflect on their own stories, fostering a genuine community around the idea that we can all succeed better by understanding where we've previously stumbled. Tune in for conversations that are as comforting as they are challenging, and which might just change your perspective on what it means to live a well-lived life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Podcast Episodes
Charlotte Church - ‘I was totally exploited. I was a commodity’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:48
Charlotte Church is currently starring in the first ever series of BBC One’s Celebrity Traitors. But she first found global fame as the young classical singer with the voice of an angel. By 22, she had sold 10 million re…
ON BABY LOSS… With Sara Pascoe and Trinny Woodall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:11
Welcome back to this How to Fail special, where we revisit powerful moments from the archive that offer insight, perspective and - hopefully - a sense of comfort during life’s more difficult chapters. This week, to mark…
Stephen Grosz - ‘Real love is going to hurt’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
Warning: this episode may contain MIND-BLOWING moments. Stephen Grosz is a practising psychoanalyst and a personal hero of mine. He has worked with patients for more than 45 years and his first book, The Examined Life, d…
Jilly Cooper: On Failure, Love and Literature [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:07
Today, we remember and celebrate the extraordinary life of Jilly Cooper, who has sadly passed away at the age of 88. A literary icon, Jilly captured hearts and imaginations with her wit, warmth, and unmistakable voice. H…
ON NAVIGATING YOUR 20s... With Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Lily Allen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:15
Welcome back to this How to Fail special where we journey through the archive to uncover insight and revisit powerful conversations. Each week, I hand-pick moments that speak to our shared challenges - hopefully offering…
Jane Goodall on Optimism, Hope and Conservation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:28
We said goodbye to Jane Goodall, who passed away yesterday at 91 after a life that inspired millions. I feel so grateful to have had the chance to speak with her back in July 2022, a conversation I’ll never forget. Today…
Letitia Wright - ‘I was bullied… now I’m Black Panther’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:54
You’ll know Letitia Wright from her standout roles in Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, Black Mirror and Top Boy. She won the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2019 and is currently starring in Not Your Superwoman at The Bush The…
ON ADDICTION... With Mae Martin and Marian Keyes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:29
Welcome back to this How to Fail special where we revisit conversations from the archive to highlight particular themes and tap into the wisdom they contain. Each week, I select moments that can offer perspective, comfor…
Joe Locke - ‘At 20, I Felt Like I Was Already 35’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:20
Joe Locke shot to global fame as Charlie Spring in Netflix’s Heartstopper, a role that catapulted him overnight from a schoolboy on the Isle of Man to an Emmy-nominated actor with millions of followers. In this candid co…
ON WRITING... With Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:18
Welcome to another special edition of How to Fail, where I revisit conversations from the How to Fail archives. Each week, we shine a light on a particular theme, hopefully offering inspiration, perspective and comfort t…