Fresh Air

The WWE superstar considered pursuing a career in mixed martial arts before realizing, "I don't like getting punched in the face." Johnson plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie's ‘The Smashing Machine.’ He spoke with Terry Gross about his many injuries, his relationship with his late father, and his wrestling personas.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hiller spent years scraping by in Hollywood by taking on various small roles and commercials. Then he landed the role of Joel on HBO's ‘Somebody Somewhere’ and everything changed. His memoir is ‘Actress of a Certain Age.’Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show ‘Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.’ "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must understand — it's anarchy," he says of the show. He spoke with Terry Gross about having ego but no confidence, working with Sondheim, and working in his father's jewelry store as a teen.Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead has as remembrance of musicians we lost this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After surviving the Taliban's 2012 attempted assassination, activist Malala Yousafzai didn't back down. She continued to advocate for girls' education across the globe. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person to win a Nobel Prize, an honor that weighed on her when she went off to college. In ‘Finding My Way,’ she writes about her life at Oxford and beyond. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about reliving childhood, PTSD, and her decision to get married.Also, critic at large John Powers highlights some things he wish he had reviewed this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the first seven years of her life, Cristela Alonzo lived in an abandoned diner in a South Texas border town. She spoke with Terry Gross about ICE raids, being mentored by labor activist Dolores Huerta, and the culture shock of having money after growing up so poor. Her recent Netflix stand-up special is called ‘Upper Classy.’Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy