Jessica Chastain: Can Robin Wright Just Be the Lead of ‘House of Cards’ Now?
“We’re ready for it,” actress tweets in wake of Kevin Spacey scandal
Beatrice Verhoeven | November 3, 2017 @ 7:26 AM
Last Updated: November 3, 2017 @ 9:36 AM
Instead of suspending production on the sixth season of “House of Cards,” Jessica Chastain thinks Netflix should make Robin Wright the lead of the series in the wake of sexual misconduct accusations against star Kevin Spacey.
“Can #RobinWright just be the lead of @HouseofCards now? We’re ready for it,” Chastain tweeted on Thursday night.
On Tuesday, Media Rights Capital and Netflix decided to suspend production on the latest season of “House of Cards” until further notice “to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew,” read the statement.
The announcement follows “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp telling BuzzFeed on Sunday that Spacey made a sexual advance toward him three decades ago, when Rapp was just 14. Spacey has apologized but said he does not remember the events in question.
Several other accusers have stepped forward since then: On Thursday, New York Magazine published a damning interview with a 48-year-old former actor who said he had started having sex with Spacey when he was 14 — a sporadic relationship that continued until he was 15. And several “House of Cards” crew members have accused Spacey of misconduct, alleging that the actor’s inappropriate advances and contact created a “toxic” work environment.
Spacey’s lawyer told New York Magazine that the star “absolutely denies the allegations.”
“House of Cards” had already begun production on Season 6, which was to debut in 2018. Season 5 was released in May and earned Spacey his fifth consecutive Emmy nomination for playing diabolical politician Frank Underwood.
TheWrap reported on Monday that Netflix is weighing several options for a potential “House of Cards” spinoff.
Wright plays Claire Underwood, the wife of President Frank Underwood (Spacey) on the Netflix show, while also serving as a producer and occasional director. Last year, she made headlines when she demanded to be paid the same as her male co-star and threatened “to go public” if Netflix didn’t cough up the dough.
In May, she said she still isn’t get paid the same.
Many praised Chastain’s tweet, asking for Netflix to make it happen. Even David Alan Grier weighed in, saying “Good idea.”
'House of Cards': The Style Evolution of Robin Wright's Claire Underwood (Photos)
If you're a fan of Netflix drama "House of Cards," you know that Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) are the most calculated power couple in politics. More so than any other character on the show, Claire's style is particularly indicative of her story. TheWrap spoke to Kemal Harris, Robin Wright's stylist and the costume designer for Claire on the popular series. Harris keyed us in to Claire's style evolution and where she has landed on the power spectrum in Season 5. (Beware, some spoilers ensue.)
Netflix
Season 1
"Claire has always dressed for the position she’s wanted in life," Harris told TheWrap. Even in the early seasons, Claire is ready for anything. "She is always literally dressed and ready to go," added the costume designer.
Part of Claire's signature look is form-fitting, yet understated dresses and high heels. She's also usually dressed in neutral colors. "The interesting thing I’ve learned over the years of working on this show is that the aesthetic -- established during Season 1 -- prevails throughout the entire five seasons," Harris said. "And that means a dark, monochromatic set design, lighting, everything is quite muted -- so you’ll never see any bright florals or primary colors. It’s very muted," she added.
Netflix
Season 2
"I think it’s refreshing and interesting and fascinating to watch how someone in her position — Claire — achieves such high status. And she’s done it being very feminine and wearing skirts and heels, because that’s her choice. That’s her power suit," Harris told TheWrap.
Netflix
Season 2
"There’s a thing that I’ve really been proud of is everyone says, 'My god, Claire is -- she’s so sexy, she’s so vicious'... But you never see her cleavage, never a mini skirt. We’re not flashing the body in a really blatant way, but we’re tailoring everything so that you’re seeing the shape and you’re getting the impressions but we’ve never had to play that sexuality card," said the "House of Cards" costume designer.
Netflix
Season 3
Harris is also Robin Wright's personal stylist for red carpet event, and the actress brought her on in Season 3. "It was a really fun season for me to join because I got to work with Claire in her role as first lady," Harris told TheWrap. "She’d never had that position before. Obviously for she and Francis, that had been their ultimate goal. You know, in Season 1 and 2, they’d been clawing their way to the top and so by Season 3 they have kind of quote-unquote 'arrived.' It was sort of the first chance for Claire to have some playfulness in her wardrobe."
Netflix
Season 3
That playfulness meant Harris could play around with shapes and colors a little more freely. "I put in a bit more color in the presidential portrait photo, I made a custom lilac colored dress, we’d never seen her in that color before," Harris told TheWrap. "I did some deep greens, made a custom two-piece burgundy outfit -- just sort of played with some teals and maroons. All these colors we’d never really seen her dabble in because she’s really known for her neutrals, in Season 1 and 2."
Netflix
Season 4
"There was a huge change, too, in Season 4, where I contrasted piping and contrasting trim, because while she was going through this personal journey, she was also sort of understanding her strengths and her true alliances," Harris told TheWrap. "I wouldn’t say she was drawing a line in the sand, but there was definitely this linear boundary feeling that I was getting from the script -- so I incorporated some contrast trims and some linear patterns that we hadn’t used before."
"Season 4 was a much more emotionally raw season for Claire Underwood," said Harris. "She had to peel back the layers and be introspective and look at her life. I went a little more in like the camels and the beiges, earthy tones… She spends a lot of time on the family ranch, so brought in tweeds and herringbones and all different kinds of textures that we hadn’t used so much."
Netflix
Season 5
The most iconic outfit from Season 5 for Harris was "that blue dress that I made with the gold buttons, just because you know that’s the ultimate Claire. It fit like a glove. It had strong tailoring. The gold buttons were actually a little more snazzy than we’ve ever seen her wear, but that was her sort of falling into her militaristic dictatorship role, even though it was very short lived. In her mind, it was what the perfect thing for a female president to wear."
Netflix
Season 5
In the latest season, Claire "was definitely buttoned up, ready for work. That was a concerted effort -- some discussions between Robin and I about what would her silhouette be for Season 5. We thought tough, militaristic, buttoned up, long sleeves, more pants. We’re still evolving Claire into bringing more pants into her wardrobe," Harris told TheWrap.
Netflix
Season 5
"Claire uses her clothing and her... feminine power as a way to intimidate. There are different ways you can present yourself to the world and people will judge you based on your appearance," Harris told TheWrap. "She’s always ready to step into that role as president."
Costume designer tells The Wrap how character’s neutral clothes convey varying levels of power
If you're a fan of Netflix drama "House of Cards," you know that Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) are the most calculated power couple in politics. More so than any other character on the show, Claire's style is particularly indicative of her story. TheWrap spoke to Kemal Harris, Robin Wright's stylist and the costume designer for Claire on the popular series. Harris keyed us in to Claire's style evolution and where she has landed on the power spectrum in Season 5. (Beware, some spoilers ensue.)
Netflix
Netflix
