Robin Wright initially refused 'House of Cards'

Actor Robin Wright on Thursday revealed that she was initially sceptical to star as Claire Underwood, a Lady Macbeth-like character, in Netflix's hit series "House of Cards".

The actor recalled being approached by filmmaker David Fincher, who directed the first two episodes of the political drama for the pilot of the project.

"I remember when David Fincher proposed the idea to me and said, 'Do you wanna do a television show?' and I said no. I had been on daytime soap opera for so many years when I was younger and I thought 'I wanna be in films'. They were two separate entries in 2013.

"You never really flip to the right side of your brain and say, 'Oh! We can have the same content. Same in-depth content on TV'. He basically educated me to say 'yes we can' and this is going to be a basically new movement. He said, 'Don't you wanna be a part of a revolution in this industry where you have been most of your life?' And I said, 'Yeah'," Wright said.

The 52-year-old actor was in conversation with Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos at a session during the streaming giant's See What's Next: Asia event here.

Wright said she is proud to be part of a series that has "revolutionised the way we consume TV".

"It has changed the way TV is looked upon. Today, turn on TV, (it) is Netflix," she added.

The actor, who has won many awards for her performance in the critically-acclaimed series, fought to save the series from derailment after allegations of sexual harassment against the show's lead Kevin Spacey surfaced and Netflix was in the mood to pull the plug.

But Wright stood up for the show and convinced the bosses to give the series a fitting conclusion despite Spacey's firing. Wright believes the final season of "House of Cards" has achieved its goal.

"I think we have accomplished our goal which was to make the most conniving, manoeuvring and scheming couple that we could be in politics. Also to finish the show as we intended."

Wright directed the series' finale and said the show felt like a "six-year-long movie" to her.

"The relationships we have built have grown and deepened. So, to be given an opportunity to direct and learn how to direct on a show that is your family was an incredible experience and I'm so grateful for it because there was such safety."

The actor believes as a director, she got to explore a lot on the show, adding the forum was limited as she had to follow Fincher's style.

"On the show, we have a very particular style that David Fincher created and you can't use certain lenses. We can't use steady cams or hand held (cameras) or certain colours. We never use the colour red. It was great having those restrictions because you had to work within the frame of what Fincher laid down for us. What a great challenge to cap it off.

Wright said there was always the thought that her character, Claire, will eventually ascend to the top, which was indicated in the final moments of the fifth season, when she breaks the fourth wall, a privilege only enjoyed by Spacey's Frank, to say "My Turn".

"She was always there. The tenet was always there that she is going to become equally, if not more, ruthless than Francis. In the beginning, we never knew year-to-year that we were going to picked up again so we always had different versions of her... But we always knew that she is going to ascend.

Now free from her commitments to House of Cards , the actor said she will now focus on directing and may be helm a film.

"I am really focusing on directing solely. Think I'm going to put acting to the side for a bit and hoping to direct a film."

The sixth and final season of House of Cards , currently streams on Netflix.

-PTI