House of Cards is close to its much-anticipated return: the fourth season will be released in full in less than a month from now on March 4th. Now that we’ve got you all excited about its return, let’s continue with our list of things you didn’t know about the show.
Number Eight: David Fincher Selected Many of the Show’s Subsequent Directors
While Fincher only directed the first two episodes, he is also an executive producer. He used his position to select other major directors like Joel Schumacher and James Foley to ensure the continued quality of the show.
Number Seven: Kevin Spacey Shadowed the Republican House Majority Whip as Research
He followed Kevin McCarthy, a California politician, to get a sense of the world he would be portraying. The actor said he definitely didn’t envy McCarthy’s job.
Number Six: House of Cards Isn’t Shot in D.C.
At least, not most of it. Though it definitely offers up that cold, metallic feeling of the United States capital, the show is mostly shot in nearby Maryland.
Number Five: Director David Fincher Discourages Moving the Camera
This helps to explain how the show looks similar from episode to episode, even with so many different directions. The decision sets the show apart from other political dramas, too, which pioneered the walk-and-talk scene in shows like The West Wing.
Number Four: Every Single Actor in the First Season Was Fincher’s First Choice
This is impressive. Not only because normally filmmakers have to settle for second or third choices, but also because House of Cards isn’t exactly filled with no-name actors.
Number Three: The Actors Who Play the President and Secretary of State Are Married
That is, the actors who play the characters in these positions in the first season (spoiler alert?). Michael Gill (President Walker) and Jayne Atkinson (Secretary of State Catherine Durant) are married, but David Fincher and Kevin Spacey didn’t know this when they hired them.
Number Two: It’s Big in China
It has almost 25 million Chinese fans. The show streams on Sohu – the Chinese counterpart to Netflix – and the company has reported that many of the fans are employees in the Chinese government.
Number One: Obama is a Fan
We don’t know what this says about the United States government – maybe just that the POTUS has good taste in storytelling. Obama has actually tweeted out requests that no one send him any spoilers. That’s all for this list, thanks for reading!