Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:
"The Rock" returns as The Smashing Machine (and says his mom will love this interview): The former WWE wrestler considered pursuing a career in mixed martial arts before realizing, "I don't like getting punched in the face." Dwayne Johnson plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr in a new film.
Comic Cristela Alonzo grew up in fear of border patrol. ICE has "brought it all back": For the first seven years of her life, Alonzo lived in an abandoned diner in a south Texas border town. Her new Netflix stand-up special is called Upper Classy.
You can listen to the original interviews here:
Copyright 2025 NPR