Hail to the chief, indeed.
It turns out that Robin Wright, known to House of Cards fans as now-President Claire Underwood, did more than regularly steal the spotlight from former lead Kevin Spacey.
In a recent interview with CBS’ The Talk, co-star Patricia Clarkson revealed that following a string of sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey and his subsequent removal from the show, it was Wright who stepped up to the plate and lobbied hard for a sixth (and final) eight-episode season.
But Wright’s successful campaign to keep House of Cards on air wasn’t just good news for fans, which Clarkson helpfully contextualised in her interview.
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“Robin led all of this charge so that people would save their livelihoods because when the show goes away, some people don’t get paid,” Clarkson said on The Talk.
She’s not only talking about herself and her fellow actors. Nearly every TV show in production, especially one as successful and large in scale as House of Cards, employs hundreds of people who work behind the scenes to make it a success. When it was announced that Spacey was booted from the show and production was suspended, the implication was that everyone down the line would also be affected. That includes directors, writers, editors, cinematographers, extras, production assistants, technical specialists, makeup artists, script runners, construction workers — and the list continues.
Yes, Spacey — who is worth tens of millions after a long and lucrative Hollywood career — might have lost his reputation in the fallout. But his actions might have lost dozens of others their actual livelihoods.
Based on what Clarkson is saying, it seems Wright was keenly aware of that fact. While she, the show’s true centre of gravity, certainly had much to gain herself by extending production — and House of Cards would undoubtedly benefit from narrative closure — the domino effect of Wright’s actions means extending job security for many others, too, even if only for one season more. And that’s a major presidential move if we’ve ever seen one.
Netflix hasn’t revealed a season six release date, but earlier this week on 4th July, the streaming giant did offer fans a quick tease of what the world of House of Cards will look like once we return: Wright, in a deep blue pantsuit, seated on the chair of the Lincoln Monument. It looked right.