Robin Wright says it would have been ‘unacceptable’ to cancel House of Cards in wake of Kevin Spacey scandal

Actor said at the time of the allegations that the show they starred in together was ‘not dirty’

Robin Wright has reflected on the Kevin Spacey scandal and her fight for the show they starred in together, House of Cards, to continue.

In 2017, numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations were made against Spacey, which led to his firing from the Netflix hit. Spacey has denied all allegations of abuse.

At the time, Wright had fought for a sixth season, protesting: “Our show’s not dirty.”

In a new interview with The Telegraph, Wright has argued that it is concerning that a series so successful can be tainted by one person’s actions. “The climate at the time was exactly that,” she said, adding that there was a worry the show would be “judged” if it didn’t “follow suit”.

Wright said: “[House of Cards being cancelled] would have put hundreds of people out of a job, with no severance probably. Absolutely not! It was just unacceptable in my mind for the show not to continue.”

The actor, who has previously said she “never socialised” with Spacey and “didn’t know the man”, agreed to speak to the publication about redemption in a general sense, as opposed to specifically answering questions about her former co-star.

On whether everyone deserves redemption, she said: “It depends on the crime. Some people crossed a line: the obvious ones. And with them you think, ‘I don’t know if I can trust that human being to grow.’ But then there are other situations where I think people can reform. Again, it really does depend on the situation and the act or acts committed.”

Wright said she believes progress will be made. “And honestly I think that progress will happen faster in years to come, when the little boys of this new generation are educated differently,” she concluded. “But of course men in those positions [of power] need to adapt, and so do we.”

Wright’s new wilderness-set drama Land opens on 4 June in UK cinemas.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spacey is in a legal battle against former House of Cards production company Media Rights Capital, which is reportedly seeking millions in damages it says it suffered due to Spacey’s 2017 scandal, which they argue “diminished” the show’s value. In turn, Spacey reportedly brought a counterclaim against the company.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that, during the legal proceedings, things took a strange turn. “Like everything in the new bizarre world of Spacey, this legal proceeding turned surreal quickly," the reporter said. “At one point during his deposition, Spacey sprang up from his seat and performed a song-and-dance number in the conference room.”