Kevin Spacey thinks that President Barack Obama is jealous of his character’s ability to get things done in the fictional hit series, House of Cards.
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Spacey agreed with the host when he said POTUS must envy faux Congressman Frank Underwood.
“I can imagine why he would,” Spacey replied, before taking a shot at Congress. “I’ve thought over the last year that it must be very interesting, not just for an American public, but for people around the world, to view a very effective Congress that gets things done.”
As House Majority Whip then Vice President, Underwood is ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants. The show, which just released its second season, has received massive critical acclaim and several Emmy nods. Spacey said that he views the story lines in the show as not that crazy, compared to what actually happens in Washington.
“I’ve heard from lots of people,” he said. “Some people feel that 99 percent of the show is accurate and that the 1 percent that isn’t is that you could never get an education bill passed that fast.”
However, according to Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), the show is highly entertaining, but not very realistic.
Spacey also told Stephanopoulos about his inspiration, real House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whom he shadowed at the Capitol. Spacey asked for character advice from McCarthy after prank calling his office. McCarthy was hesitant to help at first, but the actor convinced him — and Spacey considers that help as crucial to his understanding of how votes are actually gathered.
“He actually said recently, ‘If I could kill just one member of Congress, I would never have to worry about another vote,'” the actor joked of the real House Majority Whip.
