“We Forged Ahead”: Robin Wright Has Spoken Out About Kevin Spacey And ‘House Of Cards’
"I didn't know the man. I knew the incredible craftsman that he is."
With House Of Cards‘ final season looming later months this year, Robin Wright has given an in-depth interview with US breakfast show Today about the decision to move forward without Kevin Spacey.
Last December, Spacey left the Netflix show ahead of its sixth season amid allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Now, his co-star Wright has given her first interview since the allegations, stressing she did not have an off-screen relationship with Spacey, despite playing husband-and-wife on the show.
“We were co-workers, really. We never socialised out of work — [it was a] respectful, professional relationship,” she told Today host Savannah Guthrie.
“Kevin and I knew each other between action and cut, and between set-ups, where we would giggle. I didn’t really — I didn’t know the man. I knew the incredible craftsman that he is.”
Wright also denied any previous knowledge of Spacey’s alleged sexual misconduct, saying she and the House Of Cards team were “surprised” and “ultimately saddened” by the allegations.
“We forged ahead,” she says. “We were so thankful we were able to complete the series as planned.”
The comments echo showrunner Beau Willimon’s previous statements, though not the whole House Of Cards’ crew. Eight people who have worked on the show have anonymously corroborated accusations of on-set misconduct by Spacey, and other crew members told BuzzFeed that Spacey’s behaviour was something of an open secret.
When asked whether she thinks Netflix made the right decision in splitting with Spacey, Wright declined to directly comment.
“I don’t know how to comment on that,” she says. “But I think at the time, the shock was so intense all over the nation for many reasons, many stories, many people, I think that everybody felt that it was respectful to back off.”
Today reportedly got a few details on season six, but is saving that portion for another time — for now, all we know is that Claire Underwood has been promoted to Commander-In-Chief.
Watch the full interview below. Spacey did not respond to Today‘s request for comment, but has previously denied all allegations of misconduct on-set.
Watch @savannahguthrie's full exclusive interview with @houseofcards star @RealRobinWright pic.twitter.com/Db1eBVdfMo
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 9, 2018