LeVar Burton is learning to embrace the chaos (encore)

Summary

Wild Card with Rachel Martin: LeVar Burton is Learning to Embrace the Chaos (Encore) – August 7, 2025

In this encore episode of Wild Card with Rachel Martin, NPR's acclaimed podcast celebrates its status as a Top 10 Podcast of 2024 by The New York Times by revisiting a beloved conversation with actor, author, and Reading Rainbow host, LeVar Burton. Breaking away from conventional interview formats, Rachel Martin engages Burton in a deep, introspective dialogue using a unique deck of conversation cards, delving into his personal memories, insights, and core beliefs. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of their engaging discussion, highlighting key moments, poignant quotes, and the profound insights shared by Burton.

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Guest Introduction and Background

Rachel Martin opens the episode by celebrating LeVar Burton's multifaceted career, emphasizing his iconic roles in Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and most memorably, as the host of Reading Rainbow. She reminisces about the impact Burton had on her own life, particularly through Star Trek, and introduces the conversation with heartfelt admiration.

Rachel Martin (01:40): "LeVar Burton didn't just teach kids to love reading. He taught them to love themselves, to believe that they had their own voice in this beautiful but complicated world."

Burton acknowledges the warm introduction, expressing gratitude and humility.

LeVar Burton (03:25): "That has to be one of the most lovely introductions I've ever heard."

---

Round One: Memories

Appreciating Parental Lessons

Rachel initiates the first round with a focus on memories, prompting Burton to reflect on the lessons imparted by his parents.

LeVar Burton (06:03): "The value of hard work. Ah. Doing your absolute best, no matter what it is you're doing, right? Being the President of the United States or sweeping the sidewalk, you put your whole self into that task. That's the way we do life."

Burton elaborates on his mother's relentless work ethic, which enabled him to pursue higher education despite financial constraints.

LeVar Burton (06:25): "My mom was a hard working woman as I was growing, so her first career was as an English teacher... She waited cocktails at night, Smalls paradise in Sacramento. And that's how I was able to go to USC."

Admiring His Teenage Self

Choosing to admire his teenage self, Burton shares insights about his youthful optimism and determination.

LeVar Burton (08:22): "My teenage self had this unshakable belief that everything was gonna work out okay... that I was going to move to Los Angeles, study theater, graduate with a degree, move to New York, hustle my way onto the Broadway stage... he was focused and he trusted, and, boy, did he manifest."

He emphasizes that this unwavering optimism has been a constant in his life, shaping his approach to challenges and opportunities.

LeVar Burton (09:19): "I'm an eternal optimist and I look for the good. I expect the miracle to happen. I believe that everything does work out the way it's supposed to."

---

Round Two: Insights

Evolving Definition of Success

In the second round, Burton discusses how his perception of success has transformed over time.

LeVar Burton (12:38): "Yes. I used to embody success unconsciously by how busy I felt and how busy I was. Now I feel that success is spending my time well."

He underscores the importance of balancing work and leisure, recognizing the finite nature of personal energy.

LeVar Burton (13:35): "I've come to the conclusion that my job is to be LeVar Burton. And I love my job. And as it happens, my job requires a lot of energy going out. Right. It's energy output. And unless I recharge this battery, it's not good."

Burton reflects on his early success with Roots, highlighting the initial pressure and high expectations that came with such a groundbreaking role.

LeVar Burton (14:05): "One of the gifts of Roots was that I had to come to terms with, you know what? I may never do anything as big or as important or as impactful as this... But part of the beauty of that journey for me is seeing that as a storyteller, I've been able to portray the black experience in America, from our enslavement to the stars."

Managing Expectations and Career Balance

Burton discusses managing expectations following his early success and how it allowed him to diversify his career without being confined to a single role.

LeVar Burton (14:36): "And that's the miracle of my life, that it wasn't the only leg on my stool. I have these three jewels, I call them, in my career, crowned in Roots, in Reading Rainbow, and Star Trek."

---

Round Three: Beliefs

Connection to Lost Loved Ones

In the final round, Burton opens up about personal beliefs, starting with how he stays connected to those he has lost.

LeVar Burton (20:49): "I just know that they're still there and it is in that Awareness that the connection is alive... When I think about my mom, when Irma Jean passed, I felt her intensely for about three, four months. She was pulling strings, advocating on the other side. That was really amazing and comforting."

He highlights literature and literacy as his way of honoring his mother's legacy, integrating it into his professional life.

LeVar Burton (22:08): "Everything I do that's connected with literacy... It's all in honor of her. It's all a tribute to Irma Jean. All inspired by her."

Evolving Conception of God

Burton shares a profound evolution in his understanding of God, transitioning from a traditional Catholic view to a more expansive and inclusive spirituality.

LeVar Burton (22:43): "I was raised a Catholic, and so I was raised with the idea of God as a vehicle for punishment. Right. And that has definitely changed over time. I'm much more in the camp of we are a part of God, God is a part of us."

He expresses comfort in this broader conception, finding solace in the belief that humans are intrinsically connected to the divine.

LeVar Burton (23:45): "Faith is about reconciling the ambiguity... A belief in the absence of proof is what faith."

Burton recounts his pivotal moment of leaving the priesthood, driven by a thirst for broader understanding and embracing his passion for acting.

LeVar Burton (24:46): "It happened about midway through the first four years at St. Pius, and I realized that the world was bigger and that the answers that I was being given from the dogma of Catholicism weren't satisfying my curiosity."

---

Closing Reflections

As the conversation winds down, Burton reflects on his affinity for the Caribbean, particularly Barbados, as a place where he feels connected and at peace.

LeVar Burton (27:41): "I have a very natural affinity for the Caribbean... When I'm here, my spirit lines up with my body. I feel at home, I feel nurtured."

Rachel Martin wraps up the episode by introducing Burton's upcoming documentary, Butterfly in the Sky, and promoting his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, which continues his legacy of fostering a love for reading.

Rachel Martin (28:19): "LeVar Burton, acclaimed actor, Emmy award winning TV host of Reading Rainbow... You can see him in the documentary Butterfly in the Sky... It's a wonderful thing."

Burton expresses his appreciation for the conversation, pleased with how it unfolded.

LeVar Burton (28:36): "I thank you. This was more everything that I expected and then some. I'm so pleased it was you did not disappoint."

---

Production Credits

This episode was produced by Cher Vincent and edited by Dave Blanchard, with fact-checking by Jane Gilvin and mastering by Patrick Murray. Wild Card's executive producer is Yolanda Sangweni, and the theme music is composed by Ramtin Arablouei. For more information or to reach out, listeners can contact [e-mail].

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LeVar Burton's journey, as explored in this Wild Card episode, underscores the importance of adaptability, lifelong learning, and the pursuit of personal balance. His reflections offer listeners a window into the philosophies that have guided his illustrious career and personal growth, making this encore episode a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

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[Rachel Martin]

Hey, it's Rachel. And I hope that you're getting some time away from regular life this summer. Our team at Wildcard is doing exactly that this week, so we are re upping one of our very favorite episodes with LeVar Burton. Perfect for whatever road trip you might have coming up. People throw around National Treasure left and right, but I am telling you, LeVar Burton really is. I talked to him after a new documentary about Reading Rainbow came out. Take a listen. Has your idea of success changed over time?

[LeVar Burton]

Yes. I used to embody success unconsciously by how busy I felt and how busy I was. Now I am. I feel that success is spending my time well.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wildcard, the game where cards control the conversation. Each week, my guest chooses questions at random from a deck of cards. Pick a card, 1 through 3. Questions about the memories, insights and beliefs that have shaped them. My guest this week is actor LeVar Burton.

[LeVar Burton]

I've come to the conclusion that my job is to be LeVar Burton, and I love my job. And as it happens, my job requires a lot of energy going out, and unless I recharge this battery, it's not good.

[Rachel Martin]

So we all get this one life, right? And we're lucky if in this one life we find that thing that truly brings us joy and gives us purpose. And. And if that thing ends up touching other people in some way and making a difference in their lives, well, that's something to be grateful for. And LeVar Burton has done that over and over. He got his big break when he was just 19 years old when he starred as Kunta Kinte in the TV miniseries Roots. There had never been a depiction of American slavery like that before. And that role won LeVar Burton an Emmy nomination and a permanent place in our culture. To me, LeVar Burton will always be Lieutenant Commander Geordi Laforge, the dry witted chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise. So I lived in Japan after college and I taught English in this really small town. The woman who had the job before me left a huge pile of VHS tapes behind with hours and hours of episodes of Star the Next Generation. I taught at the local middle school, and every day when I came home totally wiped out, I put in a tape and I watched Captain Picard and Data and Jordi save humanity Jordi was the heart of that show, which had everything to do with LeVar Burton. But if you ask people in their 30s or early 40s who LeVar Burton is, odds are they're going to smile and talk about what a big deal Reading Rainbow was to them growing up as the host. LeVar Burton didn't just teach kids to love reading. He taught them to love themselves, to believe that they had their own voice in this beautiful but complicated world. There's a new documentary about the huge impact that show had. It is called Butterfly in the Sky. And with that, it is my sincere pleasure to welcome LeVar Burton to Wildcard. Hi, LeVar.

[LeVar Burton]

Hey, Rachel.

[Rachel Martin]

Thank you so much for being here.

[LeVar Burton]

That has to be one of the most lovely introductions I've ever heard.

[Rachel Martin]

That means a lot to me because you've been introduced a time or two.

[LeVar Burton]

That was really. That was lovely. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, I meant every word of it. So I got a chance to watch the documentary, by the way, and it's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing to witness and to remember what that show was. And you hear through the voices of the kids who are now grownups, what it meant to them, what it was to them. When you think back on it, though, I mean, I referenced Roots in that intro. You came out of that riding pretty high.

[LeVar Burton]

Sure.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm imagining. I don't know this, but I'm imagining a lot of doors open for you.

[LeVar Burton]

Sure.

[Rachel Martin]

Why did you want to do a kid's public television show about reading?

[LeVar Burton]

My mother was an English teacher, and I grew up in a house where reading was not optional. Okay. And so when the idea was put to me, I thought immediately, wow, let's. Yeah, let's do that. Let's use this very powerful engagement factor of this technology. Right. Tv, and put it to service in educating our kids and forming a link, an indelible connection between a child who can read and changing them into a reader for life, having them have the opportunity to self select. I'm a reader. Okay. Yeah. That was like. I knew what that felt like. I knew the value of that feeling, and that's why I wanted to do Reading Rainbow. And, you know, we should just say.

[Rachel Martin]

Can I just say, you had an opportunity to gracefully exit Reading Rainbow when you got Star Trek.

[LeVar Burton]

Yes, I did.

[Rachel Martin]

And you were like, mm, mm, this is too important. I'm gonna just work all the time, I guess.

[LeVar Burton]

Rick Berman, the executive producer of Star the Next Generation, had a history of producing children's television, and he knew how important Reading Rainbow was. So the edict was, when Levar needs to get out to go shoot Reading Rainbow. And everybody made it happen.

[Rachel Martin]

Round one, memories. Ready?

[LeVar Burton]

Ready.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, let's go. So three cards?

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

And you pick one, two or three?

[LeVar Burton]

Three.

[Rachel Martin]

What's something your parents taught you to appreciate?

[LeVar Burton]

Hmm. The value of hard work. Ah. Doing your absolute best, no matter what it is you're doing, right? Being the President of the United States or sweeping the sidewalk, you put your whole self into that task. That's the way we do life.

[Rachel Martin]

How did they model that for you? I mean, clearly they just did it every day.

[LeVar Burton]

My mom was a hard working woman as I was growing, so her first career was as an English teacher. It's where she met my father. But as my sisters and I were growing up, Ma was a social worker. And when I left home to go to college, I couldn't afford. We couldn't afford the University of Southern California. And I got a full scholarship, a California state scholarship, but still there was a gap in my financing. And my mom, in addition to to working her day job as a social worker for the Sacramento County Department of Social Welfare, she waited cocktails at night, Smalls paradise in Sacramento. And that's how I was able to go to usc.

[Rachel Martin]

So that makes sense now to me that someone would say, you have the opportunity to just do one job and be a star on Star Trek, or do these two very demanding jobs and do Raining Rainbow and you for you. You're like, yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

The underlying lesson, Rachel, was do your best no matter what you're doing. And that there is no thing that you cannot accomplish if you put your heart, your mind and your soul into it.

[Rachel Martin]

I love that. I believe. I mean, you're LeVar Burton, so I believe whatever you say. It's a special power, don't abuse it. But it just carries more weight coming from you.

[LeVar Burton]

This is Erma Jean's wisdom.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh.

[LeVar Burton]

Every time I have the opportunity to speak my mother's name in public, I do.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh, yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

Ir Jean Christian. That was that woman's name. And I am largely, in large measure the man that I am due to the woman that she was on this planet.

[Rachel Martin]

I get that.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Thank you. Last one. In this round, three new questions. One, two or three?

[LeVar Burton]

I'll go with number one, Rachel.

[Rachel Martin]

Oh. What do you admire about your teenage self?

[LeVar Burton]

My teenage self had this unshakable belief that everything was gonna work out okay, everything was just gonna be fine, you know, that I was going to, you know, move to Los Angeles, study theater, graduate With a degree, move to New York, hustle my way onto the Broadway stage and, you know, and have a. Have a career inspired by Ben Vereen. Right.

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, you sort of did that.

[LeVar Burton]

Well.

[Rachel Martin]

So it wasn't like false confidence.

[LeVar Burton]

No, but that's what I admire about that kid. That's what I admire about him. You know, the odds were so stacked against him, and had he really understood what his expectations were? I mean, really understood them in terms of the real world and how things generally work out, you know what I mean?

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

But he was focused and he trusted, and, boy, did he manifest.

[Rachel Martin]

Do you. I mean, you admire that about your younger self? Do you find it more difficult now at this stage of life to tap into that, or has that been a constant through line for you?

[LeVar Burton]

No, that's how Kunta rolls. That's. You know, Jessica Rabbit would say, I'm just drawn that way. I'm an eternal optimist and I look for the good. I expect the miracle to happen. I believe that everything does work out the way it's supposed to. And I guess that's just always been a part of my outlook.

[Rachel Martin]

We're gonna take a quick break. When we come back, it's time for round two.

[LeVar Burton]

Insights I had to come to terms with. You know what? I may never do anything as big or as important or as impactful as this. Okay. You just need to manage your expectations.

[Rachel Martin]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Raise a glass today and you'll taste more than just beer. You'll taste a trailblazing spirit. You'll taste pure ingredients, sustainable brewing and a commitment to community. And you'll taste a world of flavor. From the legendary pale ale to the citrusy and smooth hazy little thing. It's flavor that takes its time. So you can make the most of yours. See for yourself where fine beer is sold. Sierra Nevada Taste what matters. Please drink responsibly.

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[Rachel Martin]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from. Dignity Memorial. For many families, remembering loved ones means honoring the details that made them unique. Dignity Memorial is dedicated to professionalism and compassion in every detail of a life celebration. Find a provider near [e-mail] this message.

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[Rachel Martin]

We are on to round two. In this round, we're focused on insights. Stuff you're working through right now, what you're learning, all those things. Let's get into it.

[LeVar Burton]

All right.

[Rachel Martin]

Three new cards. Pick a card. One, two, three.

[LeVar Burton]

I want to go.

[Rachel Martin]

One feeling. One.

[LeVar Burton]

I am.

[Rachel Martin]

Has your idea of success changed over time?

[LeVar Burton]

Yes. I used to embody success unconsciously by how busy I felt and how busy I was. Now I feel that success is spending my time well. And what that means to me, what that looks like, is a balance A of work and leisure, work and rest. Because I recognize at this stage in my life that although I have a lot of energy, there's a limit to it. And the older I get, the more important it is for me to create that balance of activity and recuperation my job. I've come to the conclusion that my job is to be Levar Burton. And I love my job. And as it happens, my job requires a lot of energy going out. Right. It's energy output.

[Rachel Martin]

I get that.

[LeVar Burton]

And unless I recharge this battery, it's not good.

[Rachel Martin]

It's interesting, though. You got so high so fast. Right. Like after Roots, you were up here.

[Amazon One Medical]

I was 19.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah, you were 19. I mean, you're still like a kid. And so I wonder if the. If your definition of success, that epiphany of realizing you need balance, you gotta conserve, you can't just soar or you'll burn out. I wonder if that had.

[LeVar Burton]

That was experiential. Yeah, I had to learn that.

[Rachel Martin]

Cause it's a long life, God willing.

[LeVar Burton]

Exactly. And I think one of the gifts of Roots was that I had to come to terms with, you know what? I may never do anything as big or as important or as impactful as this. Okay. And I'm 19. So you just need to manage your expectations. No, seriously. About what's gonna happen next. Because clearly, A, you don't know, and B, chances are this may be the pinnacle. It just. It may be.

[Rachel Martin]

It wasn't. There were many other.

[LeVar Burton]

It turned out not to be right. And that's the miracle of my life, that it wasn't the only leg on my stool. I have these three jewels, I call them, in my career, crowned in roots in Reading Rainbow and Star Trek. And I think part of the beauty of that journey for me is seeing that as a storyteller, I've been able to portray the black experience in America, from our enslavement to the stars. And levar, the Reading Rainbow guy, is absolutely in the middle of that continuum. And so to really plot the trajectory of black people through time and space in this roughly 20th, 21st century timeframe.

[Rachel Martin]

That is very profound. What a gift.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, What a gift. What a gift. Who gets to do that? I do love it.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, insights. Three more cards.

[LeVar Burton]

Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

You got a skip and a flip. I love. You're like, I don't need a skip. I'm LeVar Burton. I don't need a skip.

[LeVar Burton]

We haven't come across a question that gives me pause. Well, I noticed that so far.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah, so far, you don't have to deploy them. Okay.

[LeVar Burton]

All right.

[Rachel Martin]

One, two, three.

[LeVar Burton]

I'm gonna go two. Just to keep it, you know, keep it fresh. Mm.

[Rachel Martin]

Which voices have you learned to turn down in your life?

[LeVar Burton]

Which voices have I learned to turn down? You mean internal or external? Either the internal voices that I'm trying to turn the volume down in my life are the. Right now I'm really working on responding instead of reacting. So I guess the voice that I'm trying to turn down is that reactionary voice, that part of me that gets triggered and wants to react. Right. Instinctively rather than take a moment, take a breath, and then respond.

[Rachel Martin]

Maybe it's your public Persona, but I feel like that's all you ever do. It is hard. I know you're gonna be annoyed by this, but it is hard to imagine you getting really pissed off about something.

[LeVar Burton]

Getting really angry at something. You could not be more wrong.

[Rachel Martin]

When's the last time you got really mad? I'm serious.

[LeVar Burton]

Like, really mad?

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah, like, really mad. You don't have to tell on anyone. But what was the circumstance?

[LeVar Burton]

It's an ongoing thing in my world. We live in a house that has two small dogs, and these dogs are genetic siblings. They come from different litters, but they have the same mother and father, and they almost share a nervous system.

[Rachel Martin]

Are you about to tell me you get really irrationally mad at your dogs?

[LeVar Burton]

I get irrationally mad at the chaos. Ah.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

It's not. It's the chaos. It is the absence of peace in my environment that triggers me. Right?

[Rachel Martin]

I mean, you are a parent. You did have children.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

You raised them.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

It's chaos. Yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah. And at this stage in my life, I believe I deserve peace. Right. I've done chaos. Right. But I'm still doing chaos in order to train me to not react. And when I master that, the chaos will not matter.

[Rachel Martin]

We've got another quick break. When we come back, Levar talks to me about how his conception of God has changed over time.

[LeVar Burton]

As my world expanded and as my thirst for a deeper understanding of the world expanded, so did my idea of God expand.

[Amazon Pharmacy]

This message comes from Wise, the app for doing things and other currencies. With Wise, you can send, spend or receive money across borders, all at a fair exchange rate, no markups or hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com Ts and Cs apply.

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[LeVar Burton]

We try to design products that are.

[Amazon Pharmacy]

Going to last you an incredibly long.

[LeVar Burton]

Time and to know that we're making.

[Amazon Pharmacy]

This in places that take the raw materials seriously, take the manufacturing processes seriously, that's ultimately what's going to allow us to sleep better at night selling this product to you.

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[Rachel Martin]

Okay, we are on round three. This is the final round and for this, this one we're getting into the big stuff. The really big stuff.

[LeVar Burton]

No kidding.

[Rachel Martin]

The real big.

[LeVar Burton]

You have not been half stepping so far.

[Rachel Martin]

I don't. Who has time for half stepping?

[LeVar Burton]

That's what I say.

[Rachel Martin]

We're getting into the beliefs that shape the way you see the world.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay. So here we go. Three new cards. Yep. One two three.

[LeVar Burton]

One one.

[Rachel Martin]

How do you stay connected to people you've lost?

[LeVar Burton]

I just know that they're still there and it is in that Awareness that the connection is alive. It's particularly present, like, for my mom, when Irma Jean passed, I felt her intensely for about three, four months. Right. And I knew she was there, and I knew she was in there. She was pulling strings. She was advocating on the other side. And that was really. It was, like, amazing and comforting and genuinely unsurprising. That's the way it happens, I guess. I had an already established belief that's what happens when you cross over. You know, you're still present on some level, and you're still looking out for and involved in the lives of your loved ones. And that is, in fact, part of the task that we're presented with when we cross over. So that was really comforting to feel. And even though I don't feel it as intensely on a visceral level, I still note that she's there.

[Rachel Martin]

May I ask you to share? Is there a particular ritual? Is there a place you go where you know you're gonna feel her more acutely?

[LeVar Burton]

Everything I do that's connected with literacy. Ah. And literature and the written word. It's all in honor of her. It's all a tribute to Irma Jean. All inspired by her. Cultivated, inculcated by her.

[Rachel Martin]

Yeah.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, I love that.

[Rachel Martin]

Okay, question. Two. Three more cards. One, two, three.

[LeVar Burton]

Two.

[Rachel Martin]

I'm glad this came up because I really wanted to ask you this question. Have your feelings about God or a divine power changed over time?

[LeVar Burton]

Mm, they have. I was raised a Catholic, and so I was raised with the idea of God as vehicle for punishment. Right. And that has definitely changed over time. I'm much more in the camp of we are a part of God, God is a part of us. Right. We are spiritual beings looking for an experience of God. We are actually God beings having human experience. And that just makes sense to me that we are a part of the all there is. This cosmos is about mystery and infinity, and those concepts are as vast as God is. And I guess for me, it's just. It makes more sense. It's comforting to me to feel like we are. That I am a part of that. Not apart from, not separated from, but.

[Rachel Martin]

And the ambiguity is. Okay. It is not unsettling to you?

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, not at all. Not at all. Faith is about reconciling the ambiguity. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

I guess you sort of have had to make peace with it.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, you do, you do.

[Rachel Martin]

That's the whole rub.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, it is. It is. A belief in the absence of proof is what faith.

[Rachel Martin]

We should just point out, for those who don't know this was gonna be your thing. I mean, you were gonna go into the priesthood?

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, I studied for four years. Yeah.

[Rachel Martin]

Did you? And it was that punitive God that, at that time, you didn't have this bigger definition?

[LeVar Burton]

No, I did not. No. It was pretty. My concept of God was formed by the catechism of Catholicism and those precepts. And then as my world expanded and as my thirst for a deeper understanding of the world expanded, so did my idea of God expand.

[Rachel Martin]

Why did that path diverge? Can you tell me about the moment you realize this is not for me?

[LeVar Burton]

Um, yeah. It happened about midway through the first four years at St. Pius, and I realized that the world was bigger and that the answers that I was being given from the dogma of Catholicism weren't satisfying my curiosity. And so I was hyper focused on becoming a priest.

[Rachel Martin]

Where did that fall with your performing dream?

[LeVar Burton]

Well, the thing that I looked for after I recognized, oh, wait a minute. This isn't how I'm gonna spend the rest of my life now. What the hell am I gonna do, right? And so it was one of those bathroom moments, right? Don't you have epiphanies in the bathroom in the mirror? I mean, I do. I do.

[Amazon One Medical]

I don't know if I do.

[LeVar Burton]

Yeah, well, I do. I'm one of those people. I have epiphanies in the bathroom in the mirror. And I was standing in the mirror, and I was thinking, what the hell am I gonna do with the rest of my life now that this life goal is no longer an option for me? And it was theater arts. I had discovered my tribe, and I thought, you know what? I think I can do this. I think I can become a professional actor. I love this so much. And it fills up so. It checks so many boxes for what makes me happy. Right? Why don't I give this a chance? And it sort of happened simultaneously with a growth spurt and a change in my own self image. I went from, like, this roly poly kid who, you know, whose nickname had been popping Fresh, you know, the Pillsbury Doughboy?

[Rachel Martin]

That was your nickname?

[LeVar Burton]

That was one of them, yeah. Preacher was the other. But I was a roly poly kid. And then I grew, right? And that ugly duckling became a swan. A black swan. And I thought, I'm gonna. I'm gonna see what happens here. Yeah. Y.

[Rachel Martin]

Um. You will be pleased to know, I'm sure, that you have won.

[LeVar Burton]

Did I?

[Rachel Martin]

It is my favorite part.

[LeVar Burton]

Tell him what he's won, Rachel.

[Rachel Martin]

A brand new car.

[LeVar Burton]

Yes.

[Rachel Martin]

Yes. And a trip to Sweden. Just kidding. You didn't win either of those things.

[LeVar Burton]

Okay, fine.

[Rachel Martin]

But you did win a trip in our memory time machine.

[LeVar Burton]

Wow.

[Rachel Martin]

You get to revisit a moment from your past right here, right now.

[LeVar Burton]

Okay.

[Rachel Martin]

This is a moment you would not change anything about. This is just a moment where you would like to sit and spend a little more time in. What do you choose?

[LeVar Burton]

I have a very natural affinity for the Caribbean. Whenever I'm in that environment, my spirit lines up with my body, Right. And I feel at home, I feel nurtured. I feel like everything there is set up for me to operate at peak efficiency and at a level of peace that escapes me. And when I'm like, here in this country. And so the moment of peace that I'm reliving is just the feeling of Barbados.

[Rachel Martin]

Levar Burton, acclaimed actor, Emmy award winning TV host of Reading Rainbow. You can see him in the documentary Butterfly in the Sky. And those of you missing his reading voice can listen to his podcast. It is a wonderful thing. It's called levar Burton Reads. It was such a pleasure. Truly, truly. Thank you.

[LeVar Burton]

I thank you. This was more everything that I expected and then some. I'm so pleased it was you did not disappoint.

[Rachel Martin]

This episode was produced by Cher Vincent and edited by Dave Blanchard. It was fact checked by Jane Gilvin and mastered by Patrick Murray. Wildcard's executive producer is Yolanda Sangweni and our theme music is by Ramtin Arablouei. You can reach out to [e-mail] we're going to shuffle the deck and be back with more next week.

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