Jeff Goldblum was bullied growing up. It made him crave something 'finer'

A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: Jeff Goldblum has a special brand of charisma — the kind that seeps its way into all his roles. Whether it's in the movie The Fly or Independence Day or Jurassic Park — or his newest show KAOS — every character feels like a version of Jeff Goldblum himself. He doesn't need to work too hard at becoming someone else on screen because he knows that the audience really just wants him.

His devilish smile. His perfectly deployed comedic asides. It feels like he's always in on the joke and he wants us to be in on it too.

It's as if he's saying, "Hey, I see you out there. I'm having such a good time in this moment, doing this acting thing and I want you to have fun with me. Come closer.

Have a seat and let's see what surprises might unfold." And we do, because it feels joyful there and a little dangerous, and that's an intoxicating place to be. Which is why I wanted him to join me on Wild Card .

This Wild Card interview has been edited for length and clarity. Host Rachel Martin asks guests randomly-selected questions from a deck of cards. Tap play above to listen to the full podcast, or read an excerpt below.

Question 1: What's a part of the culture you grew up in that you knew you didn't want to take with you? Jeff Goldblum: I grew up in Pittsburgh. It can be tough — just the culture of bullying, and rough stuff, and coarseness, and ignorance of one kind or another. I certainly can say that I realized even back then that I longed for.