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Wild Card with Rachel Martin Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards.

Want more Wild Card? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. You'll get access to bonus episodes and you'll get to listen sponsor-free. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.
Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards.

Want more Wild Card? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. You'll get access to bonus episodes and you'll get to listen sponsor-free. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

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Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

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Vivien Killilea/Getty

Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

At 40, Lena Waithe already has an impressive legacy, with dozens of writing, acting and production credits. She was the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing (for Master of None). And she's also the creator of The Chi, which is just wrapping its sixth season. She tells Rachel one of her core beliefs is a lesson from The Wizard of Oz. They also discuss being bad at being wrong.

Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

Listen · 29:06
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Taylor Tomlinson's mom died young. This is how she stays connected to her memory

Taylor Tomlinson on Wild Card Monica Schipper/Getty hide caption

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Monica Schipper/Getty

Taylor Tomlinson's mom died young. This is how she stays connected to her memory

Taylor Tomlinson has found the kind of success many comedians dream about, with multiple Netflix specials and a late-night hosting gig — After Midnight on CBS. She tells Rachel that part of the secret to her success is fear. They also swap stories about their Christian upbringings, the search for validation and getting things stuck up their noses.

Taylor Tomlinson's mom died young. This is how she stays connected to her memory

Listen · 29:58
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David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

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Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty

David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

David Lynch doesn't do a lot of interviews. The Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive creator usually just lets his work speak for itself. But he was excited to talk to Rachel about his new album coming out this summer, Cellophane Memories. And he also was game to dive into his love for transcendental meditation, a fateful childhood psychosomatic illness and a memorable encounter with a Buddha statue.

David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

Listen · 30:26
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Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated

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Mike Coppola/Getty

Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated

Bowen Yang has had some iconic Saturday Night Live roles — the iceberg that sank the Titanic, the Chinese spy balloon, the Tiny Desk intern. And he's also had big successes outside SNL — in movies like Fire Island and Bros, and on his hit podcast, Las Culturistas. He talks to Rachel about living too much in the present, hard truths from Tina Fey and why the afterlife should have a rollercoaster.

Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated

Listen · 29:18
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Jack Antonoff owes a lot to the boredom of his hometown

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Angela Weiss/Getty

Jack Antonoff owes a lot to the boredom of his hometown

Jack Antonoff has seemingly cracked the code for producing hit albums, winning multiple Grammys for his work with artists like Lorde, Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. But for his own songwriting, he leans into the unknown. He studies his anxieties, regrets and grief, and shares those feelings in songs with his band Bleachers — as well as in this game of Wild Card.

Jack Antonoff owes a lot to the boredom of his hometown

Listen · 25:04
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Ada Limón couldn't get pregnant, then realized: 'What if my body was only my body?'

Ada Limón on Wild Card Lucas Marquardt hide caption

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Lucas Marquardt

Ada Limón couldn't get pregnant, then realized: 'What if my body was only my body?'

As U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón has focused her attention on the natural world, most recently editing a collection of nature poems, titled You Are Here. But Limón's ability to see what others often overlook goes beyond nature. Limón talks with Rachel about learning to forgive yourself, the smell of her grandparents' dueling fudge recipes and a premonition she once had.

Ada Limón couldn't get pregnant, then realized: 'What if my body was only my body?'

Listen · 30:03
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The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics
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The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

Chris Pine says his directorial debut, Poolman, got "obliterated" by critics. But the Star Trek and Wonder Woman star tells Rachel that the experience helped him reevaluate his desire for perfection. Chris also debates predestination with Rachel, reflects on the struggle to feel awe and discusses his recurring childhood dreams of having tea with an elf in a tree.

The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

Listen · 26:49
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Issa Rae on the belief that gets her through 'stupid mistakes and bad decisions'

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Tyren Redd

Issa Rae on the belief that gets her through 'stupid mistakes and bad decisions'

Last year, Issa Rae was in three Oscar-nominated movies (Barbie, American Fiction and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and she also won a Peabody. Despite her success, the Insecure creator tells Rachel there have been forks in the road that still keep her up at night. Issa explains why she loves writing from a place of fear, and connects with Rachel over the way they keep lost loved ones close.

Issa Rae on the belief that gets her through 'stupid mistakes and bad decisions'

Listen · 27:34
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Why Jenny Slate sometimes feels like a 'terminal optimist'
NPR

Why Jenny Slate sometimes feels like a 'terminal optimist'

Welcome to Wild Card with Rachel Martin. In this first episode, Rachel talks to Jenny Slate, known for her roles in Obvious Child, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Parks and Recreation. Jenny opens up about whether fate brought her to her husband, what she's sacrificed for motherhood and what's so special about margarine and white bread sandwiches.

Why Jenny Slate sometimes feels like a 'terminal optimist'

Listen · 29:41
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Welcome to Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card with Rachel Martin from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards.

Welcome to Wild Card with Rachel Martin

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1243994194/1245039859" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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