Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Comedian Ronny Chieng's original path wasn't to become a correspondent on "The Daily Show." Plan A was to be a lawyer in Australia. But when he couldn't get a job in law, he turned to comedy as a backup. He talks to Rachel about his path to success and how he's more like his parents than he realized. His new stand-up special is "Ronny Chieng: Love to Hate It." To listen sponsor-free, access bonus...

Ke Huy Quan was born in Vietnam, but his family fled the country and eventually settled in the U.S. as refugees. Not long after arriving, Quan was cast in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies." He then struggled for years until "Everything Everywhere All at Once" came along. Quan talks to Rachel about his new action film, "Love Hurts," self doubt and love at first sight. To list...

Jesse Eisenberg plays characters who spend a lot of time in their heads grappling with anxiety, fear and insecurity. You can see it in "The Squid and the Whale," "Zombieland" and his latest film, the Oscar-nominated "A Real Pain." He chats with Rachel about how anxiety plays into his own life, as well as his unique use of ChatGPT, his pro basketball aspirations and the virtues of true boredom. To...

Michael Shannon grew up a kid of divorced parents, shuttling between Kentucky and Illinois and never quite fitting in. In his conversation with Rachel, the "The Shape of Water" and "Boardwalk Empire" star discusses his experience being a "loner" in childhood, and finding solace in the music of R.E.M. and acting. He also discusses how his directorial debut, "Eric Larue," brought out his inner child...

David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker behind "Mulholland Drive," "Eraserhead" and "Twin Peaks" has died. We're remembering him with a listen back to his Wild Card episode from last summer, now with an additional question about his thoughts on the afterlife. Rachel and David also touch on his love for transcendental meditation and his fractured adolescence. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episo...

We're listening back this week to our conversation with actor Ted Danson. Ted seems like he's everywhere these days. He's the host of the podcast, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," stars in the Netflix show, "A Man on the Inside," and was given the Carol Burnett Award at the 2025 Golden Globes. In this conversation, Ted goes deep with Rachel on aging, marriage and what he calls "karmic poo." To l...

Duke professor Kate Bowler was 35 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Her memoir about the experience, "Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved," became a New York Times bestseller. She now hosts the podcast, "Everything Happens." She talks to Rachel about accepting that religion won't give you all the answers and learning how not to be an "efficiency monster....

When you see Michelle Buteau perform, she gives off a blended vibe of, "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm here!" and also, "Of course I am here!" Last year, she starred in the movie "Babes" and the TV show based on her memoir, "Survival of the Thickest," was renewed for a second season. Her brand new Netflix comedy special is "Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall." To listen sp...

Usually for this show, Rachel is in the NPR studio in Washington, D.C., and the guests are famous people in another studio. But Rachel recently brought the Wild Card deck to Washington Square Park in New York City and asked the questions to people face-to-face in the park. Today, we're sharing some of the answers we heard. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up...

As 2024 winds down, we're sharing some of our favorite answers from the earliest Wild Card episodes. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Barry Jenkins is best known for indie films like "If Beale Street Could Talk" and "Moonlight." Now he's helming Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King." He talks to Rachel about the connections he sees between his old work and the new movie, and he also tells her about the place he sought refuge as a child and why he's compelled to believe that there's no order in the universe. To listen sponsor-free, ac...

2024 has been a big year for Ilana Glazer. First they co-wrote and co-starred in "Babes." Now, they have a new stand-up special coming out on Hulu, called "Human Magic." The "Broad City" co-creator and star talks to Rachel about learning how to rebel at age 37, figuring out how to be alone and tapping into their inner animal. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign...

Comedian Ilana Glazer talks about being prepared at a young age for grown-up responsibilities and John Lithgow discusses a belief he had to let go of. This normally would be a bonus episode just for Wild Card+ listeners. With this being the season of giving, we're sharing this one with everyone! To hear more bonus content like this, regular episodes sponsor-free, and support the work of NPR, sign...

Everyone has their own role that made them fall in love with John Lithgow. It could be "Footloose" or "Shrek" or "3rd Rock from the Sun." And as he approaches 80, Lithgow keeps giving us more memorable roles. This year alone, he was in "The Old Man," "Conclave" and "Spellbound." He tells Rachel what makes him so easy to work with and how he's become more comfortable with death. To listen sponsor-f...

In the world of podcasts and radio, Ira Glass is a legend. But he tells Rachel that he doesn't think about his legacy. He makes his show, "This American Life," for people to enjoy now, and he doesn't care if people forget about it one day. He also tells Rachel, and those in the audience at this live taping, that he's a nicer person on air than face-to-face. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus epi...

Sandra Cisneros is best known for her debut novel, The House on Mango Street , which follows a year in the life of a young Chincana girl . For the 40th anniversary of that book, Sandra joined Rachel for a conversation in front of a live audience at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Sandra shared a story about a teacher who changed her life and talked about why she's excited about deat...

Jimmy O. Yang finds his own success unlikely. He says as an Asian-American immigrant, he "snuck in" to show business. He's worked his way from bit parts to big roles in Silicon Valley and Crazy Rich Asians , and, now, the lead role in Hulu's Interior Chinatown . He talks to Rachel about learning how to take compliments, being afraid of oceans and why his fantasy football draft is sacred. To listen...

Erykah Badu is best known for her music career, but her resume is much more diverse than that. She's an actor, who can be seen now in The Piano Lesson . She's a doula, who helps welcome new life into the world. And she also helps guide people at the end of their life. She and Rachel talk about intentionally setting unreachable goals, letting go of certain thoughts, and space shuttles. To listen sp...

Ann Patchett's 2001 novel Bel Canto was a huge hit. She's continued to have success with her later work, including The Dutch House , which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. But she's returned to Bel Canto with a new edition annotated by Patchett herself. She and Rachel talk about why she wanted to critique her own work. They also discuss their shifting ideas of God and feeling comfortable being alone...

Kathryn Hahn can turn a supporting role into the most memorable part of a movie or TV show. In everything from Step Brothers to Parks and Recreation to Transparent , her characters wind up stealing the scene. She's now starring in Marvel's Agatha All Along. Kathryn and Rachel talk about their shared experiences, from loving Little House on the Prairie as kids to the challenges of menopause. To lis...

When Seth Meyers started at Saturday Night Live , he saw pictures of famous former cast members on the wall and was convinced he had to become an actor. It took time to realize that wasn't his path. He's now celebrating 10 years as host of Late Night . His new HBO special is Dad Man Walking . He talks to Rachel about being best friends with your parents and embracing being the butt of the joke. To...

Mark Duplass is known for his roles in The Morning Show and The League , as well as for writing, directing and producing indie hits with his brother Jay, including The Puffy Chair and Jeff, Who Lives at Home. Lately, the brothers have taken separate creative paths, and Mark is learning how to fly solo. Mark talks to Rachel about that process and about crying to Taylor Swift. To listen sponsor-free...

Gael García Bernal was basically fated to be an actor. His mom and dad were both in show business and his first starring role was in a Mexican telenovela when he was just 13. Then came iconic roles in Y tu mamá también , The Motorcycle Diaries , Coco and more. García Bernal's new show is La Máquina. He talks to Rachel about embracing mystery, being selfish in relationships and not wasting good abs...

Margaret Atwood knows that she scares people. She says that's been the case since the beginning of her career, long before her dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale was published. She talks to Rachel about that perception, and also reflects on the bad advice she's received in her career and how she takes vengeance. Margaret's new poetry collection is Paper Boat: New and Selected Poems: 1961-2023 . T...

Terry Crews went to college on an art scholarship, played football in the NFL, and now stars in movies and hosts America's Got Talent . The key to his many successes, he says, is to be really good at failure. Or, put another way, to be a lobster. He tells Rachel about getting cut from the NFL, staying up all night drawing as a kid, and how Bear Grylls helped him appreciate his place in the univers...