Fresh Air

‘Jury Duty’ is the Prime Video series about one unwitting regular guy who becomes part of a staged fake jury, not knowing that everyone around him is an actor. Season two is now streaming, with a new setting. It’s called ‘Company Retreat.’ We’re listening back to our interview with James Marsden, who played a satirical version of himself in the first season. Also, we remember raconteur Roy Book Binder, known for playing southern blues and hillbilly music. He died March 3rd at age 82. Justin Chang reviews the new Ryan Gosling space epic, ‘Project Hail Mary.’To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Grammy-winning R&B star spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about making her new album, ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ finding inspiration in the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, and growing up in a multigenerational household. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Francis Spufford’s new novel, ‘Nonesuch,’ magical, time-traveling fascists want to go back in time and murder Winston Churchill before he shores up Britain's will to fight the Nazis. The book’s hero, a young woman named Iris, is trying to survive the Blitz while navigating her love life and sexism in ‘40s London. The author spoke with Fresh Air Executive Producer Sam Briger.TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new movie adaptation of the TV series ‘Peaky Blinders.’To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, policy expert Karim Sadjadpour says the war in Iran is becoming increasingly complicated: "I don't think President Trump ... understood what he was getting into." Sadjadpour spoke with Terry Gross about the historical context of the conflict, the four priorities for the U.S. government, and the likelihood of escalation to WWIII. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Daniel Okrent’s new biography, ‘Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy,’ offers new insights into the renowned Broadway composer and lyricist. Okrent talks with Terry Gross about Sondheim’s often toxic relationship to his mother, his drinking and substance use, and finding himself through his art. “There are two major arcs to [Stephen Sondheim’s] life. One is from absolute alienation to finally, near the end of his life, connection,” he says. “The other is from an ambivalence that could be crippling at times, to resolution, to knowing who he was and what he was capable of doing.”Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel ‘Now I Surrender.’To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Delroy Lindo stars as Delta Slim, a gifted and haunted blues musician, in ‘Sinners.’ It's a performance that has earned Lindo his first Academy Award nomination. He wants to win, but he says he won't let it define him either way. “I have never taken my marbles and gone home as a result of whatever disappointments, the vicissitudes of the industry.”Also, we hear from novelist Tayari Jones. Her new book ‘Kin’ is a story of two motherless girls in 1950s Louisiana who became each other’s chosen family. The idea for the book came from her own experience of losing a friend. “When you're friends with someone, you know your name will not be listed in any obituary. But it breaks your heart to lose your friends,” she tells Tonya Mosley. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Benicio del Toro is nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘One Battle After Another,’ where he plays a karate sensei who runs what he calls a "Latino Harriet Tubman" operation. He was also in Wes Anderson’s latest film, ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ He spoke with Tonya Mosley last year.David Bianculli reviews ‘Scarpetta,’ the new Prime Video series starring Nicole Kidman, based on a series of books by Patricia Cornwell, and John Powers reviews the new Netflix series ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,’ by the creator of ‘Derry Girls.’ To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As part of his investigation into sports betting, Atlantic journalist McKay Coppins gambled $10,000 during last NFL season. He spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about his experiment, what he learned, and what the explosion of betting is doing to society. “It’s turning all of American life into a Las Vegas table game. There’s always this kind of glittering mirage of profit that you’re chasing, when, in reality, it’s designed to sort of demoralize and crush every regular person who plays.” They also talk about how betting has expanded to politics and international conflict. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After playing some of the most recognizable and beloved characters in cinematic history, Harrison Ford is not interested in retiring. "I really do love the work,” he tells Terry Gross. “It constantly changes, and the people change, and the mission and the opportunity change, and it just makes for an interesting way to live your life." The 83 year-old looks back on his big break with ‘Star Wars,’ the challenges of playing a therapist in the Apple TV series ‘Shrinking’ and the infamous 2015 plane crash. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As a culture critic, Lemieux has spent years pushing back against the stereotypes and stigma that follow single mothers. Her new book blends her own memoir with the stories of 21 other Black women. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews ‘American Classic.’ To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 2013, historian Rhae Lynn Barnes was researching blackface in America at the Library of Congress when she encountered something strange: Various primary sources on the subject were listed as "missing on shelf." It turns out that a librarian had purposely hid the materials to keep it from the KKK, which had a resurgence in the ‘80s. Barnes’s new book, ‘Darkology,’ looks at the proliferation of racist minstrel shows, and how amateur blackface became one of the most popular forms of entertainment in America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Barnes also explains how blackface fell out of fashion and then ultimately became taboo. “It is our patriotic duty as American citizens [to] help make sure that the American public has access to our history in all of its complexity,” she says. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Irish actor Jessie Buckley is nominated for an Oscar for her starring role as Shakespeare’s wife in ‘Hamnet.’ She talks about the film and how motherhood has changed her. “The thing this story offered me that brought me into this next chapter of my life as a mother was tenderness.” Also, documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville tells us about his new documentary, ‘Man on the Run,’ which focuses on Paul McCartney’s life and music after the break-up of The Beatles. John Powers reviews ‘Kokuho,’ a Japanese film about a gangster’s son who dreams of being a star in Kabuki theater.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sedaka, who died last week at 86, wrote and recorded hits in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s – songs like “Calendar Girl” and “Breaking up is Hard to Do.” He was nine years old when he began studying piano at Juilliard. Sedaka told Terry Gross in 2007, “To the shock of my family, after studying at Juilliard I sold 40 million records in five years.” The British invasion derailed his career until years later when Elton John helped revive it, by signing Sedaka to his label. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album by The Paranoid Style, led by composer-singer Elizabeth Nelson. And Justin Chang reviews the new Pixar film, ‘Hoppers.’To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Delroy Lindo is Oscar-nominated for his role as Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners.’ In a wide-ranging conversation with co-host Tonya Mosley, he talks about preparing for the role, growing up in the U.K. as the son of a Jamaican immigrant, and a special phone call from Spike Lee. He also shares what was going through his mind when he was onstage at the BAFTAs when a man shouted a racial slur. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville tells us about his new film, ‘Man on The Run.’It begins when the Beatles end, with Paul McCartney trying to figure out who he is as a musician and as a person— without John Lennon and the band that defined him since he was a teenager. Neville got access to previously unseen archival footage of McCartney with his young family and forming his new band, Wings. He spoke with Fresh Air contributor/producer Ann Marie Baldonado.  Also, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews an Art Blakey concert album, ‘Strasbourg 82.’ To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump is promoting tighter restrictions on mail-in ballots as well as passage of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote. UCLA professor Richard Hasen unpacks the ramifications.John Powers reviews the Oscar-nominated Japanese film ‘Kokuho.’To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jessie Buckley spoke with Terry Gross about her role as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in ‘Hamnet,’ directed by Chloé Zhao. She’s nominated for an Oscar and already won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for her performance. The Irish actor talks about motherhood, the singing competition show she did in her teens, and the infamous crying scene in ‘Hamnet.’ To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kate Hudson is up for an Oscar for her role as Claire in the film ‘Song Sung Blue,’ starring opposite Hugh Jackman as one half of Lightning & Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute band. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about pursuing singing late in her career. We also hear from Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard. He’s earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film ‘Sentimental Value.’ He’ll talk with Dave Davies about his many roles over the years -- from 'Dune' to 'Good Will Hunting,' and 'Mamma Mia!' and recovering from a stroke that impaired his ability to memorize lines.David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about Paul McCartney in his decade after the Beatles.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We take a trip to Bikini Bottom and revisit our interview with Tom Kenny, who plays SpongeBob on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series, and in the new ‘Spongebob SquarePants’ film. Kenny’s been voicing the character since the show began in 1999. In 2004 he talked about creating the voice, including experimenting with inhaling helium.TV critic David Bianculli reviews ‘Man on the Run,’ the new documentary about Sir Paul McCartney in the decade after the Beatles split up, and Justin Chang reviews the new erotic drama ‘Dreams,’ starring Jessica Chastain. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New York Times journalist David Sanger discusses how we got here, the state of Iran's nuclear weapons program, the likelihood of U.S. military force against Iran and if Trump's goal is regime change.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy