AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Every week, a guest draws a card from NPR's Wild Card deck and answers a big question about their life. Some people will always associate actor Kyle MacLachlan with director David Lynch. They worked together on projects like "Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks." But he's probably equally beloved for his roles in everything from "Sex And The City" to "Portlandia" to this year's "Overcompensating." On this week's Wild Card, Kyle MacLachlan spoke to NPR's Rachel Martin about his experience in his first movie, David Lynch's 1984 version of "Dune." This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience in Seattle.
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RACHEL MARTIN: How do you manage envy?
KYLE MACLACHLAN: How do I manage envy? Oh, this is a tough one for me. I'm rarely envious.
MARTIN: Oh, I knew you were going to say that.
MACLACHLAN: But...
MARTIN: There's just something about you. I could tell.
MACLACHLAN: (Laughter).
MARTIN: Really?
MACLACHLAN: But...
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: Yes. I just try to be a good person (laughter). I try to be generous. I try - I am. I - that's what I do. I just - you know, I said, good for you. It's sort of a gratitude sort of thing.
MARTIN: I mean, God...
MACLACHLAN: I start with that.
MARTIN: ...Are you that perfect? I think you might be.
MACLACHLAN: No, no, no, no, no, no. I don't say it succeeds.
MARTIN: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: But that's where I try to come from...
MARTIN: Yeah, yeah.
MACLACHLAN: ...You know?
MARTIN: Yeah.
MACLACHLAN: I remember I'd been cast in "Dune," right? I'm working. I'm in Mexico City. It's a lead role in a huge movie out of school, and I'm like - and I meet Sting...
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: ...Who's also in the movie. I wanted that guy's life.
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: And I had a pretty...
MARTIN: We all did.
MACLACHLAN: ...Darn good life going, and I was like, d***. He's going on tour. He was going on the "Synchronicity" tour.
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: He got to travel the world in a band and, like, play music and just be cool.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: You were envious of Sting?
MACLACHLAN: Yeah, I was. Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: Then my wife told me she went to see the movie not because of me, because of Sting.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: I mean, yeah.
MACLACHLAN: I still tease her to this day. She had no idea who I was, but Sting? I mean, you know, it was Sting.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
MACLACHLAN: I'll never be as cool as Sting.
MARTIN: But you, out of the goodness of your heart, you were pleased for Sting...
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: ...And his many successes.
MACLACHLAN: I was sort of pleased for Sting.
(LAUGHTER)
MACLACHLAN: Yeah. No, he's a great guy.
MARTIN: He is a great guy.
MACLACHLAN: We had fun together. Yeah.
MARTIN: Yeah.
MACLACHLAN: He's a good person. Good person.
MARTIN: I mean, he did do this one album. It was kind of, like, on a mandolin. I don't think it was that good.
MACLACHLAN: Oh, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: I'm just...
MACLACHLAN: That makes me feel a lot better. Thank you.
MARTIN: He's not perfect.
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CHANG: And you can hear that full conversation on the Wild Card podcast. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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