WWDTM: Pedro Pascal

0:00Support for NPR and the following message come from Jarl and Pamela Moan, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.

0:14From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm an anchorman among anchor boys.

0:30Bill Curtis, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois. filling in for Peter Sagal, it's Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. Thanks, everybody. It's me, Tom Papa, filling in for Peter Sagal, who was last seen talking to reporters from the roof of his house. We have a great show for you today with special guest star of the Fantastic Four, Pedro Pascal. Because this... Yep, yep. Because this was the only show he hasn't starred in this year. You're up first, though. Give us a call to play our game. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Now let's welcome our first listener contestant.

1:22Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Caroline from Atlanta, Georgia. Nice to hear from you, Caroline. How is Atlanta, Georgia this summer? Well, not as hot as it's been this past week, but very hot otherwise. Sounds like you're delirious. Yes, probably. Dehydrated. Caroline, let me introduce you to our panel. First up, a comedian bringing stand-up to the runway at his Paris Fashion Week Comedy Festival, September 29th to October 5th. Say bonjour to Brian Babylon.

2:04Bonjour. Bonjour. Next, a comedian and host of the podcast Fake the Nation. You can also read her regular column, Hemming and Hawing in the Progressive Magazine. Nagin Farsad. Hey there. Hi, Nagin. And a humorist who's substack is Take Another Piece of My Heart Now. It's Roy Blunt Jr. Yeah.

2:31It's good to be here. amongst all you folks. Welcome to the show, Caroline. You're going to play Who's Bill this time? Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotes from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show, you choose on your voicemail. Are you ready? Yes. Here's your first question. We Democrats are fighting back. We're leaving. That was Democratic Congressman James Tallarico as he fled what state to avoid a redistricting vote? Texas. That's right, Texas. This week, 50-some Democrats fled Texas, and not just for the normal reasons.

3:25Texas was about to vote to redraw voting maps to give Republicans more house seats so to prevent the vote from happening Democrats left the state it's incredibly on brand that the one time Democrats show courage it still involves running away are they all staying in one Airbnb I can't wait to pitch my new reality show, The Opposite of Love Island.

3:55How does it work? If they're just gone forever? They have to come home at some point. It's a two-week session, so they're not even taking a full French vacation. They're just doing a two-week session and then coming back theoretically. Oh, and then the shop will be closed. The other fun thing about it is they're getting fined$500 a day that they don't show up to work. But the other fun thing about that is they only get paid $600 a month because I guess Texas is really broke or I don't know what is going on. Or there might be some other way for them to make money. Yeah. Are they going to other states so they can be strippers and just get some extra cash?

4:42How does it... No, I've seen them. That is an answer. All right, Caroline, your next quote is someone complaining about a new trend. I've hopped up on painkillers, I'm delirious, and they're like, hey, how'd you like your stay? That was a patient talking about the fact that his ear surgeon, like everyone else right now, is asking for a five-star what? Yelp review? Yes, a rating or a feedback. Exactly. Good job. Everyone from takeout joints to surgeons are asking you to rate the service you received as soon as you walk out the door. But I got to tell you, that door, five stars. According to the Washington Post, people across the country are experiencing customer feedback survey fatigue, which I'm tired just saying it.

5:41But everybody does want a review. You can stay in Airbnb. They're always begging you for a review. do you review things? Literally never. Never. I like the only time I review things when there's like a really cute mom and pop shop in my neighborhood and I'm worried about their like ongoing economic survival. So I will throw in a review at wherever just to like in that sense. But, and I realized like I've never, I don't like do the Uber reviews or the Lyft reviews. And so I might have a really low score and that might explain parts of my life. I tend to look at reviews like if I'm in a new town and I'm looking for something to eat or a coffee shop.

6:26I'll look at the review real quick. And as much as I want to trust them, I do in the middle of it think, this person, there's something wrong with them. Oh, yeah. They're spending three paragraphs on the oat milk. why am I listening to them but if they give it four stars I'll go you can see a Karen in the words you can see a horrible person it is funny you can tell when they're the problem you can tell when they're the problem I don't want to get Karen into it but reviews have not worked in my marriage we try to

7:07do you guys have like an anonymous box in your bedroom or something. That's too personal. I know who it is.

7:19All right, Caroline, your last quote is from a Danish zoo spokesperson. When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat. That was someone nonchalantly asking that you donate your what to the zoo? Organ?

7:47I really wish that was the answer I really wish that was the answer I'll give you a clue if you'd like one Caroline yes please here's your hint honey where's Fluffy that's even worse your pets yes that's right your pets But she got it right, though. Stay with me, guys. But not young pets. A zoo in Denmark is asking people to donate pets as food for the zoo animals. Sure, it's a little dark, but you haven't lived until you've seen a Bengal tiger burp up a rhinestone dog collar. Oh, wait. This zoo is in Denmark? Denmark, yeah. Because don't they make Ozempic in Denmark? My idea for the zoo, and I'm sure they're listening, is that they put the animals on Ozempic and then they won't need to eat at all.

8:51Yeah, but then they get that weird face. Yeah. You get all palpatine. Yeah, you do get Ozempic face. That's right. You get Ozempic face. Well, in response to criticism, a representative from the zoo said it gives the pet a, quote, quieter death than actually going to the slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouse That's how Denmark Euthanizes their pets Yeah this is not adding up I think Denmark's Got some secrets If you've never seen A seal balance a puppy On his nose

9:32Bill how did Caroline do Caroline knows how to play the game She did a perfect score. Good job. Thanks for playing, Caroline. You did a great job. Thank you. Hey, you, we're at the zoo. There is lots to see and do. Animals from near and far live here at the zoo. Right now, panel, it's time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Nagin, one couple had the wedding of their dreams, and to pay for it, they simply got a what? Oh, they simply cashed out their Bitcoin. No. Can I get a hint? I'll give you a hint. And now it's the flower girl presented by 1-800-Flowers. Oh, they got 1-800-Flowers to sponsor their wedding?

10:30Yeah, they got a corporate sponsor. one lucky couple was able to secure hellman's mayonnaise as their wedding corporate sponsor just like every little girl's dream of having a wedding you can't leave out in the sun for too long the hellman's corporation determined many of the terms of their wedding things like they had to do it in vegas it had to be recorded for promotional purposes and this is true the wedding had to be officiated by a life-size mayonnaise jar mascot. Oh my God, that was, that's real. That's real. What ungodly religious organization ordained that for you? I don't know. If that was an ordained minister in a mayonnaise outfit, you need to really think about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

11:23If you are in a mayonnaise suit, You and Jesus ain't right at that moment. Jesus put ketchup on everything. Everything. I can find that in Leviticus. No, that wasn't wrong.

11:48Coming up, if you liked HBO's Girls, you'll love this week's Bluff the Listener. Actually, who knows? They're very different. Call 1-88-WAIT-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

12:09Support for NPR and the following message come from Jarl and Pamela Moan, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.

12:23from npr and wbez chicago this is wait wait don't tell me the npr news quiz i'm bill curtis we are playing this week with roy blunt jr brian babylon and nagin farcad and here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Tom Papa. Thank you, Bill. Right now, it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on air. Or check out the pin post on our Instagram page at Wait, Wait NPR. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hey, Tom. Hi, Wait Waiters. My name is Andrew Cundiff and I'm coming at you live from Fort Collins, Colorado.

13:08Whoa. Beautiful. Good for you. I love it there. It's so sunny and nice. What do you do for fun in Colorado? Oh, I mean, all the things, all the mountainous things. Have you ever ridden a bear? You know, I tried. You did try? When I was little, but now he ran from me. Well, I'm happy you're alive. Well, Andrew, it's nice to have you with us. You're going to play our game in which you must try and tell truth from fiction. What's the topic, Bill? Adam Driver in the news. Actor Adam Driver has done it all, delighting everyone from Star Wars nerds to House of Gucci nerds. This week, he made the news for a surprising reason.

13:56Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win our prize. The waiter of your choice on your voicemail. First up, Nagin Forsyth. Adam Driver got his start on the Lena Dunham show Girls where he played a brooding and unemployed yet somehow still desirable love interest. He's had a long career since those days but it's the role of Adam on Girls that is being used as the main heartthrob on the new video game Dating Wars. This first-person dater game available on the Nintendo Switch is meant to appeal to young women, gamifying the ever-intense battle for the affection of the elusive man-child.

14:37The unattainable boyfriend at the final level of Dating Wars is Driver's character on Girls, which is to say he's tall and handsome, except for sometimes he's also weird looking. He looks like he's never washed his hair, and it kind of feels like he doesn't live anywhere. His character lobs all kinds of hurdles your way. He'll love bomb you with romantic nights out, but only to completely ignore you for weeks. He'll leave a toothbrush at your apartment, but will never invite you to his. He'll even introduce you to his mom, but refer to you as a friend. But don't worry, Adam Driver is the hardest level.

15:14You get plenty of practice at earlier levels with characters like Aiden from Sex and the City, McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy, and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl. See also literally any 20-something at the bar tonight.

15:32Okay, that's a video game Adam Driver from Nagin Farsad. Your next creation of Adam comes from Brian Babylon. How does the USDA save cows from being killed by savage gray wolves in Oregon, but in a humane way? All you need is a drone with loud speakers to broadcast alarming sounds like fireworks or ACDC's Thunderstruck or people arguing. One recording is of a fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver from the movie Marriage Story. Because nothing scares a wolf more than seeing two people fall out of love. the fight scene is the most emotionally volatile moment of the movie like when scarlet screams i can't believe i've known you forever and then adam yells every day i wake up with you i wish you were dead the wolves hear that and they're like damn this farm is depressing let's get out of here.

16:40Great.

16:43That's Adam Driver scaring away wolves from Brian Babylon. And your last driver dispatch comes from Roy Blunt Jr. What's up with Adam Driver? Why is he turning down so many juicy movie roles like the remake of Lassie Fine's Romance in which Driver would have played a Doberman Pinscher. Well, brace yourselves. Adam Driver is taking a hiatus from acting altogether. Forsaking the flickers? For what? For golf. I've always loved hitting the links, Driver told CNN's Pegene Wilmette Thong, and it's high time I get serious about my game. Not only will he be entering open tournaments, he will introduce his own line of golf wear.

17:35Why stop with clothes, asks Wheelamette Fong. Why not design a signature set of clubs? For example, the driver, driver. Hmm, says driver. That's a thought.

17:55Okay, Andrew. From Nagin Fursag, you've got a video game where Adam Driver in Girls is the ultimate bad boy to win over. From Brian Babylon, the government scaring away wolves using the famous argument scene from Adam Driver in Marriage Story. And from Roy Blunt Jr., the Adam Driver driver. Which one is real? I'm going to go with Brian with the wolf hazing drone.

18:26And to find out the correct answer we spoke to the reporter who broke the real story. They played Adam Driver and Sarah Johansson in Mary's story, and the wolves hated them. That was the Wall Street Journal's Jim Carlton talking about Adam Driver scaring the wolves. Congratulations, Andrew. You got it right. Thank you so much, Andrew. Support Public Radio, everybody. Yes, thank you so much. You earned a point for Brian, and you've won our prize, the voice of your choice, on your voicemail. Thank you for playing, Andrew. Woo-hoo, thank you. All right, take care. In a joy, Colorado.

19:13And now it's time for the game we call Not My Job. Pedro Pascal had been a working actor for years before becoming an overnight sensation playing Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones. Since then, he's starred in everything from The Mandalorian to The Fantastic Four to your dreams every night.

19:38And this year, he's up for an Emmy for his role as Joel in HBO's The Last of Us. Pedro Pascal, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you. Thank you for having me. So great to see you. It's really nice to meet you. I feel like we all feel like we know you because you're literally in every movie. How do you? I know. I'm sorry about that. You're making us all very happy. You started as an actor in New York mainly, right? You were a struggling actor in New York? Yes. Right. Yes. That was like the longest role of my life was struggling. Wow. And how, and you must've started getting parts there and you slowly, Did you get to do commercial work, that kind of stuff?

20:27I mean, I couldn't get arrested, to be honest with you. I had a little bit of a promising start with jobs that were in Los Angeles, actually. But as far as New York was concerned, it just was a rough go. I was a waiter, and I was really bad at it. And I, but I still didn't have the skill to learn something else. And I did eventually learn how to weight tables. I became good at it, but boy, it took years. What was the struggle in waiting tables for you? What was the hard part? Just the logistical labor of meeting everyone's needs in the right manner. You know, the act one, the water. I'd screw the drink.

21:20I'd screw the, you know what I mean, upsell. Yeah. You know, like the whole everything and making them feel attended to and respected and everything. And I, you know, I desperately didn't want to be there. I want to be honest with you. I've never understood the waiter's journey until that moment, Pedro. That was beautiful. Like, wow. I'm going to tip more every time. Like, I see what you're doing, man. So at that time, what was scarier, the world in The Last of Us or your first apartment in New York?

21:57Oh, gosh. Wow. Okay. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, I thought my apartment was really cute. And when I moved out to Brooklyn, the only place that I could afford was a tiny little place in Red Hook. And I remember taking a friend of mine to it years, years, years later. well, I still had the lease. And she looked like she was going to cry, knowing that I lived there for 12 years. Like, she just was dumbfounded. And it was hilarious. So, I don't know, maybe to some people, my apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn, but to me, definitely the post-apocalyptic fungal nightmare. Yeah. Although there was a lot of fungal nightmares in that apartment.

22:49I was curious for The Last of Us, which is so brilliant, but I know so many people. And Peter, who I'm filling in for today, he played The Last of Us on his PlayStation, the video game. And he was so moved. He talks to me about it like he's so moved by that game. It really hooked people in a profound way. Did you play that game before you start in the adaptation? No, I tried. I really, really did try. I tried. I tried. And my nephew didn't have the patience, so he took the concert from me. And I was just like, well, then you do it. I'm sorry.

23:38And so I just watched him play. It's a skill. It's such a thumb skill. I was like, you know, I was just like running in a corner. and I couldn't get out of a corner. You're going to, like, pick up the ladder, and you've got to, you know, all these things. I couldn't figure it out. It's funny to think of you going through the script when you get the role and looking like, where's the corner scene? Yeah, exactly. There's a grand, like, running in place.

24:07You've been recognized by so many award committees. How did it feel to be named Grindr's 2024 Hottest Man of the Year? you are lying to me you're not aware of this? you're lying to me I'm just not

24:35if that is the truth then I need to go