House of Cards actress Robin Wright: You don't have to be a bitch to be powerful

The House Of Cards star reveals her Hollywood equality mission and why she wants to direct full-time
Lights, camera, action: Robin Wright said she would rather direct full time than act
David Slijper/courtesy of Harpers Bazaar
Alistair Foster1 March 2016
The Weekender

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Robin Wright returns to screens this week in the latest series of House Of Cards — but says she would rather be behind the camera.

The star, who has directed several episodes of the Netflix political drama and won a Golden Globe for her role as First Lady Claire Underwood, also gave an insight into her professional style, saying in an exclusive interview with Harper’s Bazaar that “you don’t have to be a bitch to be powerful”.

Wright, 49, would be happy to ditch acting entirely, explaining: “I would prefer to be behind the camera ... full-on, forever. That would be great.”

Of her acting days, she said: “You feel you’ve completed the chapter. It’s so whimsical, this business; you never know when or what is going to come next. So never say never. But if someone said, ‘You can either act or direct’, without hesitation I would say, ‘Direct’.

'Whimsical': The actress said the acting industry is temperamental David Slijper/courtesy of Harpers Bazaar
David Slijper/courtesy of Harpers Bazaar

“I think once I tasted the directing, I didn’t want to go back. That’s all. No different to going, ‘Oh, I love that restaurant, I don’t want to go back to Denny’s [an American fast-food joint]’.”

Cover star: Robin Wright David Slijper/courtesy of Harpers Bazaar
David Slijper/courtesy of Harpers Bazaar

She also spoke about her style as a director — and praised Kevin Spacey, her on-screen husband in House Of Cards. She said: “Never say ‘Don’t’ to an actor, for example. ‘Don’t do that thing with your hand’, and then you’re like, ‘Oh great, now you’ve made me self-conscious and I don’t know what to do with my hand’.”

On directing Spacey, she said: “He’s such a master. He turns it on so quickly and is such a fast absorber, just a sponge. You don’t have to say anything to him.”

Wright stepped away from the limelight at 25 to raise her children — daughter Dylan, 24, and son Hopper, 22 — but now says she was “way too young”. She added: “I didn’t know me. I’m living my life now. I’ve raised kids my whole life. Oh my God. [I am now discovering] so many things. So many things that I probably would have learned in my thirties had I not been a mom and a wife ... I’m finally getting to me. You know? It’s an essence, it’s a feel thing.”

She also hopes to make the acting industry more equal. “I do want to make changes, for the better,” she said. “I think my mission statement is: you don’t have to be a bitch to be powerful. I’m trying to stick to that.”

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Read the full interview in the Harpers Bazaar’s April 2016 issue - on sale March 1. Also available as a digital edition.

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