Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity. Want to listen to Wild Card sponsor-free? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.
105 episodes transcribedKyle MacLachlan is known for his iconic roles in David Lynch classics like "Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks," but he's reinvented himself again and again...
Jason Reynolds writes stories that don't talk down to kids. In young adult books like "Long Way Down," "Ghost" and two Miles Morales Spider-Man novel...
Orville Peck is full of apparent contradictions. As a kid in South Africa, he went from dancing ballet to playing drums in a punk band. He loves music...
Ramy Youssef's creative pursuits range from stand-up to his semi-biographical Hulu show, "Ramy," to his new animated series, "#1 Happy Family USA." In...
When Mike Birbiglia tells a story, he tries to make it relatable to everyone in the audience – whether it's tapping into his childhood anxiety, relati...
Jonathan Groff has brought his killer vocals and Disney-hero charm to Broadway hits like "Spring Awakening," "Hamilton" and "Merrily We Roll Along." H...
Wanda Sykes life has been defined by one act of courage after another. Leaving a safe career for comedy, getting divorced, coming out and surviving br...
When Weird Al's debut single, "My Bologna," came out, there wasn't really a model for how a parody artist could have any longevity in their career. Ye...
Joy Harjo is one of the most revered poets in the United States, but she took a winding path to get there. The former U.S. poet laureate spoke with Ra...
Don't be fooled by Brett Goldstein's grumpy exterior – he can't resist a big, open-hearted story. You see it in the TV shows he's acted in and helped...
Anyone who has seen Julianne Nicholson in "Mare of Easttown" or "Janet Planet" knows she is really good at portraying grief. In her new show "Paradise...
Elizabeth Olsen is most famous for her role as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But she says her own taste is reflected in indie films...
John Green keeps busy – from authoring blockbuster young adult novels like "The Fault in Our Stars," to running a YouTube empire with his brother Han...
From a young age, Uzo Aduba's parents taught her that she could do anything. That confidence has led to some iconic performances – from Suzanne "Crazy...
Natasha Rothwell can't help but collaborate. She honed her improv skills at the Tokyo Comedy Store which led her to roles in memorable ensemble casts...
London today is very different from the one Zadie Smith grew up in and the one she wrote about in her debut novel "White Teeth." That is just one of t...
This week we're revisiting our episode with comedian Bowen Yang. The "SNL" cast member and "Las Culturistas" podcast co-host had a big year between be...
When Natalie Morales was a kid growing up in Miami, she didn't just have a mango stand, she ran an entire mango monopoly. She's dreamed big ever since...
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...
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 cas...
