Julio Torres

Summary

Wild Card with Rachel Martin: Julio Torres (March 26, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Wild Card features Julio Torres, comedian, writer, filmmaker, and creator of the HBO special Color Theories. Known for his surreal and whimsical approach, Julio joins host Rachel Martin in a card-driven conversation that delves into childhood memories, cosmic questions, the art of comedy, and his philosophical outlook on life. True to the show’s promise, the questions jump past small talk and open up space for vulnerability, humor, and candid reflection on identity, creativity, and the absurdities of daily living.

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Main Themes and Key Insights

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1. Memory & Childhood Pride

[02:24] "What was a moment when you felt proud of yourself as a kid?"

• Julio’s Fashion Moment: Julio recalls designing a dress for his mother, who was a fashion designer in early 90s El Salvador.
  • Quote: “It looked like an absolutely heinous green princess dress. Like a huge, huge princess dress.” (Julio Torres, 03:12)
  • Despite the dress never making it into production, Julio was proud and persistent, repeatedly checking when it would become real.
  • His mother’s response was a noncommittal “hmm”, encouraging yet honest.

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2. The Power of Place & Cosmic Questions

[05:04] "What's an ordinary place that feels extraordinary because of what happened there?"
— Julio jokes about places like the Berlin Wall, then switches questions —

• Existential Obsessions
  • Quote: “Haunted by the infinity of space… That was one of the ones absolutely haunting to me. How can something—the infinite nature of the universe—not end?” (Julio Torres, 06:07)
  • As a child, Julio was kept up by thoughts about the endlessness of the universe, linking his “OCD” tendency to not being able to let go of certain thoughts.
  • As an adult, his existential anxieties focus less on the infinite, and more on solvable, real-world problems.

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3. Life Path & Immigration Realities

[09:49] "When’s a time you realized you were on the right path?"

• Comedy as Compass
  • Performing open mics and hearing genuine laughter confirmed he was on the right path.
    • Quote: “When people were laughing at things that I also thought were funny, I think that’s when I felt like, oh, okay. I don’t know where this path will lead, but I will keep going. It feels like I'm walking in the dark but the terrain feels comfortable enough.” (Julio Torres, 10:09)
• Barriers for Immigrant Artists
  • Discusses his journey from El Salvador as a student and how US immigration has grown harsher:
    • Quote: “Would someone in my position be able to take that road [to success] in 2026? ...I’m not sure. And that’s devastating.” (Julio Torres, 07:40 - 08:27)

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4. Comedy, Creativity, and Anthropomorphizing the World

[12:15] Discussion of Color Theories, Julio’s HBO Special

• Imbuing Life into Color, Numbers, and Objects
  • Julio treats colors and numbers as characters with their own internal worlds.
    • Quote: “It’s a structured lecture on unscientific findings.” (Julio Torres, 13:03)
    • Describes purple as seductive, combining blue’s logic and red’s passion.
  • Rachel shares how, as a child, she gave all numbers personalities—mirroring Julio’s approach.
    • Humorously details how “7 was the troublemaker…seven was like a toxic vice president…7 had a full-on plan to slay the CEO and assume power.” (Rachel Martin, 15:12 - 16:12)
  • Both admit to recurring nightmares about failing math, but take solace in understanding their emotional dynamics.

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5. Insights: Secret Obsessions and Relationship to Competition

[19:42] Insight Cards

• Disney Parks Obsession

  • Quote: “I am obsessed with watching videos of actors as characters in Disney parks…Trying to gauge what the rules are for being a performer in Disney parks. What can they do? What can’t they do?” (Julio Torres, 19:49)
  • He’s fascinated by the boundaries of performance, time, and reality, but prefers observing rather than interacting.

• On Competition

  • Julio is not motivated by competition, unlike Rachel.
    • Quote: “The joy I’m seeking is not a limited resource.” (Julio Torres, 20:27 & 23:33)
  • He finds joy in living authentically rather than climbing ladders or collecting external validation.
  • Rachel discusses her own competitive tendencies and the importance of boundaries to avoid toxicity.

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6. Transforming Disappointment into Material

[27:12] "What's a disappointing experience that now feels like a blessing?"

• Julio sees every comic failure or accidental mishap as potential material.
  • Quote: “Doing comedy is full of disappointing experiences that you turn into blessings.” (Julio Torres, 27:16)
  • Tells story of being denied entry to Costa Rica because his passport was “too wrinkly”—now a bit in his standup.
    • Quote: “Not being let into Costa Rica because my passport was too wrinkly, for example.” (Julio Torres, 27:56)

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7. Belief, Divinity, and Fate

[30:36] & [32:59] The Leafs Round

• Divine Power & Mysticism

  • Julio’s religious upbringing was “Catholic-adjacent”; he is open to the mystical but hasn’t felt a tangible “divine power.”
    • Quote: “I was always allowed to believe in whatever I wanted to believe in.” (Julio Torres, 31:12)
    • “The question did trigger a, ‘What?’” (Julio Torres, 32:37)

• Fate and Family Prophecy

  • Shares family mythology about a fortune teller predicting a grandchild thriving in New York—acknowledging the power of stories to shape ambition, rather than believing in predestination.
    • “How much of that myth seeped into my consciousness and therefore routed my ambitions and my instincts and my desires? … Inconclusive data.” (Julio Torres, 33:27)

• Astrology as Play

  • Both discover they’re Aquarians and see astrology as “fun” and a kind of mythology, aligning with Julio’s penchant for bestowing personality on the abstract.
    • “We are referred to as the alien sign. That’s very cool. There’s a humanitarian streak…not leaders but overseers.” (Julio Torres, 36:08)

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8. Looking Forward: Joy in Aging

[37:08] "What do you look forward to when you're older?"

• Julio can’t wait for “the outfits”—envisioning himself in elaborate old-man attire, canes, and even a “very shiny chrome helmet” if he loses his hair.
  • Quote: “Canes. Beautiful canes. Gorgeous wheelchair…And also, just, like, having no ego about getting help. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Open that for me. Take me there.” (Julio Torres, 37:33)

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9. Memory Time Machine: Where Would You Linger?

[38:12]

• Julio's hilariously recent answer: He wishes he could linger on this morning, checking his sandwich order more carefully so he wouldn’t forget to add the vegan egg.
  • Quote: “I want to linger in taking my time in checking all the little boxes in the app…and making sure that the vegan egg is part of the sandwich.” (Julio Torres, 39:00)
  • The playful ending underscores the episode’s blend of existential longing and everyday absurdity.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The joy I’m seeking is not a limited resource.” — Julio Torres [20:27/23:33]
• “Doing comedy is full of disappointing experiences that you turn into blessings.” — Julio Torres [27:16]
• “7 was like a toxic vice president...plan to slay the CEO and assume power.” — Rachel Martin [16:07]
• “How much of that myth seeped into my consciousness...Inconclusive data.” — Julio Torres [33:27]
• “We are referred to as the alien sign...not leaders, but overseers.” — Julio Torres [36:08]
• “I want to linger...making sure the vegan egg is part of the sandwich.” — Julio Torres [39:00]

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Episode Timestamps

• 02:24 – Childhood pride: Designing a dress for his mother
• 06:07 – Obsession with cosmic questions as a child
• 08:27 – Immigration barriers for artists
• 10:09 – Realizing he was on the right path via open mics
• 12:15 – Discussing Color Theories special and anthropomorphizing
• 15:12–16:15 – Rachel’s number personalities
• 19:49 – Secret obsession: Disney park character actors
• 23:33 – Thoughts on competition and joy
• 27:16 – Turning disappointments into comedy material
• 30:36 – Divine power and mystical belief
• 33:27 – Family fate myths and astrology banter
• 37:08 – Looking forward to eccentric outfits in old age
• 38:12 – “Memory time machine” and the breakfast sandwich regret

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Tone & Takeaways

The tone is playful, surreal, occasionally melancholic, but always sincere. Julio and Rachel celebrate imagination, vulnerability, the comedy in failure, and the importance of living authentically. The episode confirms why Wild Card stands out: it’s more meaningful than the average celebrity interview, full of “aha” moments and quirky, humanizing details.

Transcript

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[Rachel Martin]

Have you ever experienced a divine power?

[Sponsor/Announcer]

No.

[Julio Torres]

Can you give me an example? Because you asked very casually, like, have you ever had, like, a cherry Coke?

[Rachel Martin]

Rachel. I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wild Cards, the show where cards control the conversation. Each week, my guest answers questions about their life. Questions pulled from a deck of cards. They're allowed to skip one question and to flip one back on me. My guest this week is Julio Torres.

[Julio Torres]

I'd be terrible in, like, trying to work up a corporation or something. Like, why do you want to move up to this position? Well, I don't necessarily. The joy I'm seeking is not a limited resource.

[Rachel Martin]

Until I encountered the work of Julio Torres, I had never imagined the interior life of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate or how navy blue captures the feeling of having to create an account. But now that Julio has asked me to imagine these things, I cannot stop seeing them. His art defies definition. Whether in movies like Problemista or TV shows like Phantasma's, Julio Torres invites his audiences into a world of his own making. And it is an absurd and beautiful place to be. His new HBO stand up special is called Color Theories. And I am so very happy to welcome Julio Torres to Wildcard. Hi.

[Julio Torres]

Hi.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm so happy to meet you.

[Julio Torres]

Thank you for having me.

[Rachel Martin]

First round is memories. These are the first cards. Julio.

[Julio Torres]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

You pick one, Two or three.

[Julio Torres]

I will pick one.

[Rachel Martin]

One. Okay. What was a moment when you felt proud of yourself as a kid?

[Julio Torres]

I designed dress that. Okay. So context. Context. My mother was a fashion designer and she. It was a lot of, like, chic little power suits, a lot of mini skirts, a very, like, geometric.

[Rachel Martin]

It was the 80s.

[Julio Torres]

It was. We're coming out of the 80s, early 90s. Very, like, early 90s. City lady.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Clothes.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, I can see it.

[Julio Torres]

And I was like, I'm going to design a dress for you to sell. And I was so proud of myself. I was so, so proud of myself. It looked like an absolutely heinous green, like, princess dress. Like a huge, huge princess dress.

[Rachel Martin]

Just big skirt, small, tight bodice.

[Julio Torres]

Tight bodice. Of course.

[Rachel Martin]

So tight.

[Julio Torres]

Giant skirt. Giant ruffles upon ruffles upon ruffles of green. Different shades of green.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, I love it.

[Julio Torres]

And I kept following up on when production would begin.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

When. When these were going to drop. Yes. Yes. And it never came.

[Rachel Martin]

It didn't.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

But did she. Did she welcome the suggestion? Was she also proud of you?

[Julio Torres]

I think it was. My mother is very. I mean, she's very encouraging, but she's also very honest. So she was like.

[Rachel Martin]

So what was the feedback?

[Julio Torres]

She was like, hmm. Like, hmm. And a nod.

[Rachel Martin]

But I love it. Cause I am imbuing into that. Hmm. That she was like, too many ruffles. Like, maybe it was plausible, like in the. Hmm. Could be some kind of.

[Julio Torres]

I think maybe a microsecond of it. Compute. Like, tried to find a solution, and then it was just like, no.

[Rachel Martin]

It's just like, no. Thank you so much. But you were proud of yourself.

[Julio Torres]

I was so proud of myself. So proud of myself.

[Rachel Martin]

Three new cards. 1, 2 or 3?

[Julio Torres]

3.

[Rachel Martin]

What's an ordinary place that feels extraordinary to you because of what happened there?

[Julio Torres]

Oh, that's a beautiful question.

[Rachel Martin]

Thanks.

[Julio Torres]

It's an ordinary place. It feels extraordinary to me because of what happened. What if I said, like, the Berlin Wall?

[Rachel Martin]

Okay.

[Julio Torres]

No, I mean,

[Rachel Martin]

if you were there.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Yeah. For some reason, this place feels important to me. I can just feel.

[Rachel Martin]

I don't know what happened. There's an energy.

[Julio Torres]

There's just an energy about it. The Sphinx. The Great Wall of China.

[Rachel Martin]

I can also pick a different one from that round. Do you want me to do that?

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. And you know what's gonna happen? I bet that's gonna stir an answer for the first one. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Were you obsessed with a particular cosmic question as a kid?

[Julio Torres]

Haunted by the infinity of space.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Okay.

[Julio Torres]

Certainly haunted. It would keep me up at night.

[Rachel Martin]

Really?

[Julio Torres]

Oh, yeah. I was an insomniac as a kid, and that was one of the ones that was absolutely haunting to me. Like, how can something, the infinite nature of the universe, not end?

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Oh, I still get shivers.

[Rachel Martin]

Really?

[Julio Torres]

You know what? I'm realizing it, definitely. I do have. Experts have said that I do have ocd, and I think that this is definitely that, like, latching onto a thought. Latching onto, like. And not being able to let go of it.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

But the Existential questions that haunt me the most are the ones that feel just within reach. Like. Like, now I'm no longer haunted by the universe being infinite. I accept it.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

Reluctantly, begrudgingly. Now it's sort of like these bigger problems that I'm like, oh, if we put our heads together, we can solve this.

[Rachel Martin]

So then how does that manifest in your actual life right now? Like, you're living this amazing, beautiful, big, creative life, and I hear you saying it's not enough that you actually want to make different kind of change or a different kind of impact in the world. Am I interpreting that right?

[Julio Torres]

Well, yeah. I mean, it's like, oh, I get to make. I'm so privileged that I get to make movies and, well, one movie so far, but hopefully more, and just get to perform and get to release a special and whatever. And I. But then I look at the road that brought me here, and I ask myself, in the year 2026, would someone in my position be able to take that road? That was already pretty difficult. And the answer is I'm not sure. And that's devastating.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Can you say more about what that means? I mean, because.

[Julio Torres]

Well, that means specifically coming here as a student. Student with a student visa

[Rachel Martin]

from El Salvador.

[Julio Torres]

From El Salvador. Yes. Yes. And, you know, it's almost like the first enemy on the list of this new administration. Students. International students. Specifically international students that were decided to have less agency and the freedom of speech being more limited if you're an international student. And also just regulating how many people get to come here as international students, from which countries do they get to come here as international students? But those already, like, narrow corridors feel like they're getting narrower and narrower and narrower.

[Rachel Martin]

The barriers for entry are just higher and higher.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But these are the questions that keep me up, and the ones that I'm like, who do I text?

[Rachel Martin]

There must be someone.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Who can I talk to?

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, this is the last one in this round. One, two, or three?

[Julio Torres]

Two. No, one.

[Rachel Martin]

Ooh. Interesting one. When's the time you realized you were on the right path?

[Julio Torres]

I think when I started doing. When I started doing comedy open mics and people actually laughed.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

When people were laughing at things that I also thought were funny, I think that's when I felt like, oh, okay. I don't know where this path will lead, but I will keep going. It feels like I'm walking in the dark, but the terrain feels comfortable enough.

[Rachel Martin]

Clearly someone or enough people laughed that you were like, I will now proceed to the next Open mic.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Yeah. And by enough people, I mean like the five people in the audience, The five other comedians waiting for their turn to go up.

[Rachel Martin]

Foreign.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

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[Rachel Martin]

Let's talk about your new special on hbo, Color Theories. I love this, Julio. I mean, I'll tell you why for a few different reasons. But let's set the scene of what this is. You imagine the lives of colors, the interior lives, how they interact with each other, what their motivations are and how you experience them. And this is something that you do not just with colors, but it's popped up in other things you've done. You think about the backstories of letters and numbers, and it is fantastic. I loved it so much.

[Julio Torres]

I think of it as a class.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Okay.

[Julio Torres]

A class on. A class about my unproven theories on color. It's a. It's a structured lecture on unscientific findings.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

And can you just give a couple of examples? Purple, to me in the special, seems like the color with which you feel the most.

[Julio Torres]

Yes. I love it.

[Rachel Martin]

Symbiosis.

[Julio Torres]

Yes. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Is that fair to say?

[Julio Torres]

Yes. Because purple, of course, is the combination of blue and red. Blue being order and logic in its purest form and red being rage and passion. And I think that we humans are fiery, passionate beings stuck in a blue grid, which is rules, law, society, et cetera. But purple dares combine both of them, and it's very seductive because of it.

[Rachel Martin]

Right. So the reason that I so connect with this special is that as a very young child, I think it's because I was afraid of numbers and still have kind of a fear of numbers, which I never really thought of until you sort of brought this up in your special.

[Julio Torres]

Afraid of numbers.

[Rachel Martin]

I made relationships, I made little backstories, little personalities. I only went to 10. I didn't. Because it was just overwhelming after that. And again, I was really.

[Julio Torres]

And is 10. Is 10. Was that two personalities coexisting? One and zero or was one whole.

[Rachel Martin]

Zero didn't exist in this for me.

[Julio Torres]

Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

It was one and 10. 10 and that. I mean, I wasn't very sophisticated. I was just a child. So 1 is the baby, 10 is the king. King, yeah, king. Definitely patriarchal. Definitely patriarchal. Five was the diplomat, obviously. Six was insecure, bordering on obsequiousness. Seven was the troublemaker. Six was always jealous of seven. Seven was the troublemaker and was really emotionally manipulative of all the other numbers.

[Julio Torres]

7. 7 was 7.

[Rachel Martin]

7. But 7 had power. Anyway, I could go on, but the

[Julio Torres]

point was seven was like. So is seven like a toxic vice president, Like a. Like toxic upper management?

[Rachel Martin]

Totally. But had more. Actually, 7 had more power. Toxic upper management who was going to slay the CEO, had a full on plan to slay the CEO and assume power.

[Julio Torres]

That's what about 8? Is 8 just like establishment has been there for years?

[Rachel Martin]

Yes, 8 is totally establishment.

[Julio Torres]

Establishment doesn't have to do anything.

[Rachel Martin]

Shows up well fed.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Well fed. Shows up, doesn't have to finger. Is not threatened by anything. So therefore gets along with everyone.

[Rachel Martin]

It's like a tenured professor.

[Julio Torres]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

Like showing up. Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Just showing up. Yeah. Contract gets renewed. Didn't even think about it.

[Rachel Martin]

Right, right.

[Julio Torres]

And nine is something.

[Rachel Martin]

The drama with seven is not on his radar because he doesn't need to care.

[Julio Torres]

No, he doesn't need to care.

[Rachel Martin]

He doesn't need to hear.

[Julio Torres]

He almost like speaks in parable and it's like you don't even know what's happening in your own office. So how dare you give me advice.

[Rachel Martin]

That's right.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

And honestly, I can't remember where 9 is in the scheme.

[Julio Torres]

I think by that logic, 9 would be. Where do we go from there? 9 would be, I think, entrusted with a lot of responsibility but not get the glory of 10.

[Rachel Martin]

Totally. Yeah, that's right. Nine is competent.

[Julio Torres]

Nine is running the show.

[Rachel Martin]

Nine is actually running the show. Yeah, yeah, right. Nine is a woman.

[Julio Torres]

Mm, yeah, yeah. Nine is a woman.

[Rachel Martin]

So needless to say, when I watched this show, it took all of, like, 45 seconds for me to be like, oh, I'm seen. I get it. I'm so into this world. I am there. That is where I want to live. I think about this stuff all the time. And. And, yeah, I didn't know what that was when I was young. I really did. It was maybe avoidance, because I really did have a hard time with.

[Julio Torres]

Now when you say you're thinking about

[Rachel Martin]

numbers the way I was supposed to. Academically, yes.

[Julio Torres]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm bad at math. I'm really bad at math.

[Julio Torres]

I'm terrible at math. I still have nightmares, actually. It's a recurring nightmare that I have. The grades are coming out soon, and I haven't been to math class for many days.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, yeah.

[Julio Torres]

And that'll be reflected. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

[Rachel Martin]

I literally have that dream nightmare.

[Julio Torres]

Like, literally.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes. I haven't dropped it. It's always like, an advanced calculus class with. God knows. I don't know how I even got in the first place.

[Julio Torres]

I would stare at the board in class and be like, I have no idea. No idea what any of this is.

[Rachel Martin]

But I can tell you about their inner motivations.

[Julio Torres]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

And, like, their jealousies and their love affairs. All these numbers on the board. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was with you. So do people get it, like, instantly? Like, do your audiences trust you enough that they're just like, we are along for this?

[Julio Torres]

I think so. I think so. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

You don't have to have developed a childhood fascination with making up backstories to

[Julio Torres]

ditch, but I think we all do. Is the thing. I think that people tap into that. Tap into those memories.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

That's what playing is. Is. Is coming up with a. Is. Is. Is bestowing a lives and emotions to things that supposedly don't have them.

[Rachel Martin]

Round two insights. 1. 2 or 3?

[Julio Torres]

3.

[Rachel Martin]

What are you secretly obsessed with?

[Julio Torres]

I am obsessed with watching videos of actors as characters in Disney parks and through the interactions they have with the person taking the video. The tourist. The adult tourist.

[Rachel Martin]

Right.

[Julio Torres]

Trying to gauge what the rules are for being a performer in Disney parks. What can they do? What can't they do? What are their limitations? What are. What have they been instructed to do?

[Rachel Martin]

Interesting. So you mean like the woman playing Moana walking around in the Disney Park?

[Julio Torres]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

And the adult who's taking the picture

[Julio Torres]

filming, asking her, like, being like, moana, how was your day? What are you doing? And then. And then, based on Moana's answers, having to, like, Reverse engineer. Like, what was the training? Like,

[Rachel Martin]

The training to be these, like,

[Julio Torres]

trying to see behind the mask.

[Rachel Martin]

Right. Do they have them all memorized? Is there a script?

[Julio Torres]

So they definitely. This is what's interesting. Their answers most more frequently reflect the character that they're playing in a very obvious way. If you stop Jasmine from Aladdin.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

She'll say, like, it's just another gorgeous day in Agrabah. Or, like, I'm on the way to the palace. Have you seen Aladdin anywhere? But here's what's interesting, is, are you catching Jasmine mid the story that we all know? Are you catching her before or are you catching her after?

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, where in time.

[Julio Torres]

Where in time?

[Rachel Martin]

When we encounter her?

[Julio Torres]

Or is she going through a sort of, like Amy Adams in arrival? Time is cyclical. She knows what will happen with the lamp. She knows Jafar will put her in an hourglass. But that hasn't happened yet.

[Rachel Martin]

She has awareness, you think?

[Julio Torres]

Yes. Yeah. She has awareness. She knows where things are going, but she's trapped in this liminal space of memory.

[Rachel Martin]

At Disneyland.

[Julio Torres]

At Disneyland.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Well, that.

[Julio Torres]

So I'm obsessed with.

[Rachel Martin]

That is really specific. And then. Does it make you want to go to Disneyland and have your own conversations, or. No.

[Julio Torres]

No. It makes me want to observe.

[Rachel Martin]

No particular need has been satisfied.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. I just want to be. I just want to observe. I don't want to interact.

[Rachel Martin]

No, I think that sounds reasonable. 1, 2 or 3.

[Julio Torres]

1.

[Rachel Martin]

Has competition done more to help you or hurt you?

[Julio Torres]

Mm. Neutral. Neither, really. Yeah. I don't think so.

[Rachel Martin]

Don't think about it.

[Julio Torres]

I've never been a competitive person.

[Rachel Martin]

Is that why you had to leave snl? Because I feel like, as a writer on snl, that is cutthroat.

[Julio Torres]

That is a very. Yes. The structure of it is very competitive. But I did not. I didn't. But I feel like being competitive implies seeing others as. As possibly obtaining something that you want.

[Rachel Martin]

Yep.

[Julio Torres]

But I feel like no one else has what I want. I don't think. I don't think the joy I'm seeking is a limited resource. Mm. I'd be terrible in the. In, like, trying to work up a corporation or something. Why do you want to move up to this position? Well, I don't necessarily. The joy I'm seeking is not a limited resource. Do you feel competitive? Yeah. You do? Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

I wish I didn't. I wish. I wish I didn't. But I've always been. I've always had, like, a competitive thing. It's not an attractive quality. It's Genuine. I don't think it's an attractive quality in people.

[Julio Torres]

I think a lot of people think it is.

[Rachel Martin]

The people I am drawn to are not competitive people. So I guess for me there's a little self loathing I recognize has been a positive animating force for me. But then it can get sticky. You gotta know where to draw the boundary of it so it's a positive animating force and not something toxic because you want your friends and colleagues to succeed. And it doesn't have to be. If I don't get it, then they can't. Then I don't want them to have it.

[Julio Torres]

Got it.

[Rachel Martin]

They get a good thing, you know, that's a miserable, miserable way to live.

[Julio Torres]

That is a miserable way to live. Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. So I love the idea of seeking a joy that nobody possesses so they don't. You don't have to claw it away from anyone because you're responsible for it.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Well, my joy has never been a job, an award, something that is just like

[Rachel Martin]

finite.

[Julio Torres]

Finite. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Mm. What is it? If I can.

[Julio Torres]

I think getting to live a life where I get to do the things that are important to me and that bring me joy and it's a holistic, the life I want to live kind of thing. Not like the, like, I never got, like, even like blank college. I'm like, that's insane. That you have to apply to go to a school. That's insane. That is insane. You have to prove that you're good enough to be a customer. That is insane. You apply. You apply to teach me.

[Rachel Martin]

It really is true. We're giving them money. I know. Yes.

[Julio Torres]

You're ruining the rest of your life financially. No, when someone makes me feel like I have to prove something to them, I just walk away.

[Rachel Martin]

Really.

[Julio Torres]

I'm like, seek help.

[Rachel Martin]

But that means you don't suffer from, like a lot of insecurity.

[Julio Torres]

I don't. I actually don't think I'm a very insecure person.

[Rachel Martin]

Mm.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. My. My troubles are elsewhere.

[Rachel Martin]

We'll leave that there. Okay. One, two or three?

[Julio Torres]

One.

[Rachel Martin]

What's a disappointing experience that now feels like a blessing?

[Julio Torres]

A disappointing experience, but now feels like a blessing? You know, I. I think that the doing comedy is full of disappointing experiences that you turn into blessings. Right.

[Rachel Martin]

There's a lot of rejection built into the whole career choice.

[Julio Torres]

Also, you turn things that you know and living a different life would just be like an annoying thing that happened. You turn it into something worth laughing about.

[Rachel Martin]

Material.

[Julio Torres]

Material. Yeah. So like not being let into Costa Rica because my password was too wrinkly, for example.

[Rachel Martin]

Did that really happen?

[Julio Torres]

Yes, it really happened.

[Rachel Martin]

That is wild.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

This is a bit in your show that is apparently autobiographical.

[Julio Torres]

So you know, it's like it, it, you know, when I was walked over on the plane ride back,

[Rachel Martin]

I don't understand. You got there, you presented your passport. The guy was like, nope, too many wrinkles. Should have ironed this bad boy. And then they just put you back on the plane, the next plane back

[Julio Torres]

and then they just walk you to the next plane back. Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

Uh huh.

[Julio Torres]

As your friends are on the other

[Rachel Martin]

side when it's finally pressed this passport, like literally that.

[Julio Torres]

Yes. Plus like a form or something that you have to fill out, like saying that you were rejected.

[Rachel Martin]

And now it's a very nice story in your standup special.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

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[Rachel Martin]

This is the last round. Leafs 1, 2 or 3?

[Julio Torres]

3.

[Rachel Martin]

Have you ever experienced a divine power?

[Sponsor/Announcer]

No.

[Julio Torres]

Can you give me an example? I have a follow up question because you asked very casually like have you ever had like a cherry Coke?

[Rachel Martin]

I feel like it's the same.

[Julio Torres]

You feel like it's the same. Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

Was your family religious? I mean, you're from El Salvador. Sorry, big generalization coming in.

[Julio Torres]

No, no, very accurate.

[Rachel Martin]

Lots and lots of Catholics.

[Julio Torres]

Accurate, accurate, accurate. Well, okay. My extended family is quite Catholic and my upbringing was, I would say like Catholic adjacent. My mother believes in many things. She's a very complex relationship with Divinity and the supernatural. But Catholicism is definitely important to her. But I was just always allowed to believe in whatever I wanted to believe in.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

And that is sort of where I landed.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, your art leads me to conclude, perhaps wrongly, that you are a person who would have some kind of expansive relationship with ideas that might be mystical or supernatural.

[Julio Torres]

I'm curious about all those things, but can I say that I have experienced a divine power? Was that the question? Yeah. That feels like. What?

[Rachel Martin]

Fair enough.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

I'll get you a cherry Coke next time we're together.

[Julio Torres]

I'm open minded. But the question did trigger a. What?

[Rachel Martin]

1, 2 or 3?

[Julio Torres]

3.

[Rachel Martin]

Well, I don't know if this one's gonna go anywhere either, but let's ask it.

[Julio Torres]

Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

What's a belief you chose to let go of?

[Julio Torres]

Mmm, I can't think of any belief that I've let go of.

[Rachel Martin]

Let's skip it.

[Julio Torres]

Okay, let's skip it. Is that something allowed? Skipping it.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Julio Torres]

Okay. Skip it.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, I like how you said it with conviction.

[Julio Torres]

Skip it.

[Rachel Martin]

Skip it.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Is there anything in your life that has felt predestined? How do you feel about fate and predestinedness?

[Julio Torres]

I don't believe in it, but my mother does. And she tells the story of some, like, fortune teller telling her that. That. No. Telling my grandmother that one of her grandkids would succeed in New York and that my mother overheard this as she was pregnant with me. But I think there's an argument to be made that, you know, obviously I was very. How much of it. How much of that seeped into my. How much of that myth sipped into my consciousness and therefore routed my ambitions and my instincts and my desires? So I don't know. I don't know. Inconclusive data indeed. Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

But I think mythologies are fun. I was gonna say fun, but I also. Well, they are fun.

[Julio Torres]

They are fun.

[Rachel Martin]

They're fun.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

I think they can also be meaningful.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Are you an astrology person? Not like, do you do it professionally? But like. But do you. Do you. Do you engage in.

[Rachel Martin]

I don't know. Maybe I am. I don't know. I'm in a new phase of my life. Maybe I'm astrology. I never used to be an astrology person.

[Julio Torres]

What sign are you?

[Rachel Martin]

I'm an Aquarius on the cusp of Pisces.

[Julio Torres]

I'm an Aquarius as well.

[Rachel Martin]

You are?

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, I don't really know what that means. I took an Enneagram test.

[Julio Torres]

A what?

[Rachel Martin]

You know what that is? Oh, you should take that.

[Julio Torres]

That's the, like, personality type one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I forgot what I was.

[Rachel Martin]

I wish I could forget what I was.

[Julio Torres]

What are you.

[Rachel Martin]

Do you know what one of the people was? One of the people listed, like, other people who have your Instagram thing.

[Julio Torres]

Oh, no. Oh, no.

[Rachel Martin]

Don Draper, the fictional character from Mad Men.

[Julio Torres]

The sort of, like, womanizing, cold, che. Ambitious.

[Rachel Martin]

Not even a real person. They couldn't refer to an actual human who had these abominable qualities, so they said that I embodied the qualities of Dawn's horrible, immoral, fictional TV character.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. Sharp dresser.

[Rachel Martin]

Anyway, I don't know where I am with astrology, but I'm definitely at a time in my life where I'm super open. I am open to all the things and all the inputs and why not? That's what I have to say. Are you into astrology?

[Julio Torres]

I like it. I think it's fun.

[Rachel Martin]

You, too.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Do you know anything about being an Aquarian?

[Julio Torres]

Yes. We are referred to as the alien sign. That's very cool. Yes, very. There's a humanitarian streak to it. Not something someone told me once that I really liked. Not leaders, but overseers.

[Rachel Martin]

What is. That's like 10 in my little childhood Numbers. Personality.

[Julio Torres]

Kind of. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Not because the king is, like, sort of ineffectual.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah, yeah. Sort of like looking at everything from above.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Looking at everything from Oprah as an Aquarius.

[Rachel Martin]

I know. She's also a three, which is my enneagram.

[Julio Torres]

Got it.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes. Oprah.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, well, last one. One, two or three?

[Julio Torres]

One.

[Rachel Martin]

What do you look forward to when you're older?

[Julio Torres]

Oh, the outfits, the outfits, the outfits.

[Rachel Martin]

Old man outfits.

[Julio Torres]

Old man outfits. If I lose my hair, I decided I'm gonna have a very shiny chrome helmet that I wear.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, that's good.

[Julio Torres]

Canes. Beautiful canes.

[Rachel Martin]

Beautiful canes.

[Julio Torres]

Gorgeous. Wheelchair.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes.

[Julio Torres]

Maybe like. And also, just, like, having no ego about getting help. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Open that for me. Yeah, take me there.

[Rachel Martin]

We end the show the same way every time with the trip in our memory time machine. In the memory time machine, you revisit one moment from your past. It's not a moment you want to change anything about. It's just a moment you'd like to linger in a little longer. Which moment do you choose?

[Julio Torres]

I have a. Only a very stupid answer comes to mind.

[Rachel Martin]

Give it to me.

[Julio Torres]

Just felt so consequential at the time. This morning, I ordered wrong. I ordered my breakfast wrong. I forgot a crucial ingredient, and it just. I was in a Rush. And it was my fault. And I do have a great regret about it.

[Rachel Martin]

But it's not regret. It's a moment you want to linger in. You don't want to linger in the mistake.

[Julio Torres]

No, but I want to linger. I want to linger in taking my time in checking all the little boxes in the app.

[Rachel Martin]

Uh huh.

[Julio Torres]

And making sure that the vegan egg is part of the sandwich.

[Rachel Martin]

You didn't order the vegan egg?

[Julio Torres]

No.

[Rachel Martin]

You wanted to.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah, I got just an avocado sandwich. What am I gonna do with that? I'm still hungry. I'm like sitting here hungry. I didn't plan for that mistake.

[Rachel Martin]

Well, you should get a new battery in your memory time machine because it didn't go back very far, but we're gonna let it slide.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. I did not go back very far, did it? I could have gone anywhere.

[Rachel Martin]

It needs a tune up. It needs a tune up. It needs an oil change.

[Julio Torres]

Yeah. What a dumb way to end this. Oh, no,

[Rachel Martin]

We can keep it. That's what came to the fore.

[Julio Torres]

That's what came to the. That's what came to the foreground.

[Rachel Martin]

That's what came to the foreground. Julio Torres. His new special on HBO is called Color Theories. It is a wonderful way to spend some time. Thank you so much for doing this, Julio.

[Julio Torres]

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[Rachel Martin]

Hey there. If you liked this episode, go check out my conversation with Rami Youssef. Like Julio as both a stand up comedian and a showrunner, Rami is not afraid to experiment and to break the rules to make art that feels specific and true to himself. You can watch that conversation with Rami along with this conversation with Julio Torres or any of our recent episodes on our YouTube channel. Just search for NPRWildcard. This episode was produced by Mitra Arthur and Summer Tomad. It was edited by Dave Blanchard and mastered by Jimmy Keeley. Wildcard's executive producer is Yolanda Sangweni and our theme music is by Ramtin Arablouei. You can reach out to [e-mail] and we're going to shuffle the deck and be back with more next week. Talk to you then.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

This message comes from feeling heavy and depleted. Prolon's five day Fasting mimicking diet aims to make it easy to reset your body habits and energy. Developed at USC's Longevity Institute, the goal of Prolon's nutrition program is to rejuvenate you from within by working at the cellular level to support fat loss, glowing skin and Sharper Focus. Get 15% off plus a bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com NPR this message comes from Sony Pictures Classics with A Magnificent Life. When the editor in chief of a magazine commissions a column about Marcel Penyol's childhood, he is forced to confront his failing memory. It isn't until a vision of his younger self visits him that he can relive his colorful past. A new animated film from Sylvan Chaumet, the director of the Triplets of Belleville, Sony Pictures Classics presents A Magnificent Life in select cities, March 27.

Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. RWJF is a national philanthropy working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. Learn [e-mail].