Claim OwnershipWild 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.
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.
29 Episodes
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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. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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 listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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 listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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 universe. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
When Sterlin Harjo was growing up, he didn't see many Native Americans in mainstream media. But Sterlin's TV show, Reservation Dogs, changed that, depicting the lives of four Native teenagers growing up in Oklahoma. Sterlin talks to Rachel about how he thinks fate has guided his life, why people should go to more funerals and how hunting feels like praying.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
1Hanif Abdurraqib's writing has earned him a MacArthur "genius" grant. His most recent book, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, landed a spot on Barack Obama's summer reading list. But those accolades don't matter to him as much as being a good friend and neighbor. Abdurraqib talks to Rachel about a youth spent unhoused and incarcerated, and the zen of making mixtapes.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
From the beginning of her career, Grammy-winning musician Kacey Musgraves has been doing what feels authentic to herself. She sings about familiar country themes like falling in love and heartbreak. But she also sings about smoking pot and queer relationships. Musgraves talks to Rachel about not being defined by anyone but herself, becoming more open-minded and living with the ghost of her grandma.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jeff Goldblum has a special brand of charisma — the kind that seeps its way into all of his roles. Whether it's in The Fly or Independence Day or Jurassic Park — or his newest show KAOS — every character feels like a version of Jeff Goldblum himself. He also brings that Goldblumian charisma to Wild Card, breaking into song as he reflects with Rachel about his life.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Rob Delaney has experienced great success as a comedian and actor. He created and starred in the acclaimed TV series Catastrophe and he's been featured in blockbuster movies like this summer's Deadpool & Wolverine. But he's also experienced tragedy, including the death of his son. He talks to Rachel about loss, failure and why he kind of wants a meteor to hit his house.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jenny Slate is known for her roles in Obvious Child, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Parks and Recreation. Jenny opens up to Rachel 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.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Taffy Brodesser-Akner built her journalism career with her incisive celebrity profiles and then found additional success with two novels that examine wealth and class, including this year's Long Island Compromise. She and Rachel talk about what makes fame and fortune so compelling, whether some people are just innately restless, and longing for a conversation with a burning bush.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
As the U.S. women's national soccer team's all time top goal scorer, Abby Wambach knows what it feels like to win. She's brought home a World Cup and multiple Olympic gold medals, but she says true success comes after the podium. She and Rachel talk about forgiving yourself, how a little narcissism isn't a bad thing, and why she wants to be forgotten.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Musician Ani DiFranco has never stopped growing as an artist. In the last year alone, she starred in the Broadway production of Hadestown, was featured in a documentary about her life and career, and released her 23rd album. She and Rachel talk about reinventing yourself in middle age, finding power in scaring people, and the magic of a late-night hamburger.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcardLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
LeVar Burton has three roles he'll forever be known for: Kunta Kinte on the TV series Roots, Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and host of Reading Rainbow. Those roles have had profound impacts on people and he now understands, as he puts it, "my job is to be LeVar Burton." He talks to Rachel about the tension of that job, his changing definitions of success and learning to embrace the chaos.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
At 81, Nikki Giovanni isn't afraid of getting older. And the legendary poet also isn't spending any time thinking about her legacy. She's mostly focused on having fun and being able to look back on her life and feel like she did her duty. She talks to Rachel about the myth of a happy family, what she's learned on safaris and why she's fascinated with Mars.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Ted Danson has mastered the role of the happy-go-lucky guy with a quick wit and a quicker smile – who nevertheless has a few cracks in his sunny demeanor. It's there in Sam Malone on Cheers, in Hank Larsson on Fargo and in Michael on The Good Place. And that same duality is there in Ted's real life. He goes deep with Rachel on the light and dark sides of aging, marriage and what he calls "karmic poo."To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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.To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Kathryn Hahn is such a delight! I loved her answer to "what is something you do that feels like praying" - been thinking on this question since I heard the episode. 💫
I love this show always, but I found this particular episode especially delightful! I'm so glad you didn't "delete it"! 😉
What a wholesome interview, it made me happy!
I loved Catastrophe, I didn't realize the loss that Rob Delaney had suffered. This interview was insightful in learning more about him.
Rachel Martin has truly crafted a gem with 'Wild Card.' Her ability to blend insightful discussions with engaging storytelling makes each episode a captivating experience. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-medical-billing-solutions-200032142/