‘House of Cards’ : Frank Underwood Very Much in Love with Claire
Beau Willimon, creator of "House of Cards" is not someone who would spill spoilers on Twitter about Season 3 of "House of Cards." However, he took to Twitter to answer some of the fans' questions and revealed some interesting titbits about the critically acclaimed show, actors, characters and the writing process.
Frank Underwood is a man who does not hide his love for power and the show till now has been mainly about his wily, murderous stratagems to become the President of U.S. When asked if it is possible for Frank Underwood to fall in love with something other than power, Willimon said, "I think he's very much in love with Claire." He also said that "a strangled dog" would really melt Underwood's heart.
A fan asked him to explain the three way implied love scene in Season 2. Willimon said, "Frank and Claire have whims and desires like anyone else. It's important to see the irrational and human side of them sometimes."
Willimon said that he has based Frank Underwood's character on not just one politician. He named a few politicians on whom the character of Underwood is based. These names are LBJ, FDR Nixon, Jefferson, Napolean and Richard III.
The creator of "House of Cards" also revealed that Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Rachel Posner in the show, was supposed to be there in the first two episodes, only. "But she was so FANTASTIC we developed a big character for her," he said.
For a fan, Willimon described Season 3 in three words. These words are: "WAIT FOR IT."
There are six writers in Willimon's writing team. However, ultimately, he is the one makes the final decisions. Willimon said that "it's a very collaborative process." He revealed that Claire describing her sexual assault with Francis in Episode 2 of Season 2 was the hardest scene to write. For that scene, he worked closely with Robin [Wright, who plays Claire] and also went through many drafts.
"House of the Cards" is based on BBC's mini-series of the same name, based on a novel by Michael Dobbs. Willimon said on Twitter that for the U.S. version, they are telling their own story at this point. He added, "We don't use the BBC version for guidance in terms of plot."