For someone who claims to have developed an interest in politics "by accident", writer Beau Willimon certainly knows a bit about the subject - and he has explored it in fascinating ways in his work.
After penning the acclaimed play Farragut North, a political drama that was adapted into the George Clooney film The Ides of March, Willimon was approached by filmmaker David Fincher about reshaping the BBC miniseries House of Cards, which followed the rise to power of a ruthless UK politician, into an American TV series.
The US version of House Of Cards stars Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, a Congressman who uses devious and manipulative tactics to seize the power he believes he deserves.
In its second season, premiering on Saturday on pay-TV station Showcase, Underwood's strategy looks to be paying off - he's the vice president. But there's plenty more in store, not that Willimon was willing to divulge too much about what lies ahead.
BEAU, WHAT CAN YOU REVEAL ABOUT THE SECOND SEASON OF "HOUSE OF CARDS"?
Nothing at all. [Laughs] I don't talk about story for obvious reasons. We spent a lot of time creating this season and we don't want the viewers to have any of it spoiled for them in any way, shape or form.
HAVE YOU LOOKED AT "TO PLAY THE KING" AND "THE FINAL CUT", THE TWO SEQUELS TO THE ORIGINAL BBC "HOUSE OF CARDS" MINISERIES, AS INFLUENCES?
That's a sneaky way of trying to get me to talk about season two. Obviously, I've watched the entire BBC version, but to what degree it influences any of our storytelling is not something I'm going to talk about.
CAN'T BLAME ME FOR TRYING. OK, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO EXPRESS WITH "HOUSE OF CARDS" WHEN YOU CAME ON BOARD.
Our first season had more hours than all three of the BBC series combined, so of course we were going to have to broaden the world and introduce more characters. The first thing I said to David Fincher was I didn't want to do an adaptation. My goal was not to translate this to American audiences; it was to use it as a springboard for investigating power in myriad ways. I also told him I didn't want to do a show about politics. I wanted to do a show about power. I don't think House Of Cards or Ides Of March are about politics. I think they hopefully transcend the politics to explore power, not just in the political realm but in love, relationships and all sorts of different ways. Another thing I said to Fincher was I wanted to do a story about a marriage. As much as I love the BBC version, the wife is very much a secondary role. And I wanted there to be two stars on our show, not just Francis but also his wife Claire, and really see how this symbiotic relationship, this partnership, was the greatest asset in their mutual ascent.
DID YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM ANY ACTUAL OR FICTIONAL PEOPLE IN SHAPING FRANCIS UNDERWOOD?
There were a lot of different inspirations, some political and some not. You can think about people who have felt the need to conquer, to dominate - everyone from Napoleon to Rupert Murdoch. There is a certain gene - real or in the soul - people have to impose their will. I can impose my will in a small, select circle of people in my world, but then there are some people who say they want to impose their will on the entire world. It's a form of megalomania, which is rare, but when we see it, it results in empires, wars, history.
IN YOUR WORK, THERE SEEMS TO BE A VIEW OF POLITICS AND POWER THAT IS MORE PRAGMATIC THAN IDEALISTIC. DO YOU SEE IT THAT WAY?
If you're looking for a linear story of someone who started out as this naive, idealistic person and became jaded over time, it's not my story or the story of anyone else who works in politics for any period of time.
I think you begin to see more and more layers of how the political world works. I'm just as optimistic and idealistic about the political process as I was when I was 21. I think the more you know about it, your views maybe swing back and forth on a pendulum. But I don't think you make the move from A to B, per se.
A lot of people will look at Ides Of March or House Of Cards and think I'm a cynic. But I see a rigid ideology to be among the most cynical things one can engage in. It prevents any form of compromise or attempt to understand world views that may be different from your own. To me, that's cynicism. It's saying I will not engage or entertain any view with which I disagree and that's not an optimistic way of looking at the world.
I'm actually an optimist and I think Francis Underwood is a deeply optimistic person. In his world view, he wants to get things done.
* The new season of House Of Cards premieres at 8.30pm on Saturday on Showcase (through Foxtel).
