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Why Was Kevin Spacey Removed From House of Cards Season 6? Here's What Happened
Netflix has cut ties with Kevin Spacey due to harassment allegations, halting House of Cards production. The show's future is uncertain as writers plan to remove Spacey's character.
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Netflix writes Kevin Spacey out of House of Cards
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Options to remove Frank Underwood include natural death
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to sexual harassment.
Kevin Spacey, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, had not been part of the sixth season of House of Cards. After completing just two episodes, shooting was paused even though more scripts were available elsewhere.
This choice left the cast and crew in limbo while creating a conundrum for the writers and producers on how they would deal with the main character. But what was the exact reason behind Spacey’s removal?
Showrunner’s cliffhanger
At the end of Season 5, Spacey’s character, Frank Underwood, steps down from the presidency in favor of Vice President Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright. In this final scene, Claire says, “my turn,” breaking the fourth wall.
With this kind of setup, there was a possibility that Claire could be seen as becoming the new leading lady or something else entirely different happening to her. According to Variety, there was a chance that it might focus on a spin-off revolving around Doug Stamper, played by Michael Kelly; nevertheless, his morose character might not appeal to a lot of people.
Deleting Frank Underwood
The big problem was how they could take Frank out of the show. One possibility was that he could just die quietly of natural causes, for example, a heart attack. That would require a few scenes with fake pathos, which this program often sentimentalizes. But this would amount to an oblique reference to Spacey, which the series may wish to eschew.
On the other hand, his killing would glorify Underwood inadvertently. Another way was to follow real-life events whereby Underwood faces the consequences of his actions. Yet, when applied to the real-world political climate, considering an imaginary president losing office due to sexual offenses might have appeared preposterous.
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What happens next
Perhaps the easiest solution would have been opening the season with an announcement that Underwood died peacefully at home from natural causes, followed by a rapid moving forward process after a brief mourning period. The challenge here was making it look plausible, but the writers have done this kind of stuff before, so it was not going to be a big issue.
However, going on without Spacey in House of Cards was always going to be difficult. Although Claire Underwood later went on to become the lead character, her scheming failed to sustain viewers’ interest for long.
Alternatively, the makers thought of a special episode, almost like a movie, that could focus on various victims of Frank Underwood, starting with Zoe Barnes. This would make an appropriate finale to both the character and the series considering the departure of Spacey and also put paid to all issues raised by his exit.
Thus, the future of House of Cards failed to build on anything because the viewers did not like Robin Wright as the lead character of the story. However, the decision to remove Kevin Spacey marks a major step in dealing with broader issues concerning sexual harassment within the industry as a whole.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with harassment, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, or NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
ALSO READ: ‘I Have Nothing To Hide’: Kevin Spacey Breaks Down In An Interview With Piers Morgan
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