Kate Mara’s House of Cards on Netflix
Actress Kate Mara, best known for her roles in films like Brokeback Mountain, 127 Hours and HappyThankYouMorePlease. She recently stopped in to the SiriusXM studios to talk about her new television series which will be airing exclusively on Netflix, “House of Cards.” Excerpts from the interview appear below.
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Ron Bennington: Now I’ve watched the first 2 episodes and these are the most horrible people in the history of the world. (Kate laughs)
Kate Mara: Oh good. I’m glad you had that reaction.
Ron Bennington: There’s no one on the show where you think to yourself – I hope they end up okay.
Kate Mara: I’m going to take that as a compliment.
Ron Bennington: It is Washington DC. And we do love to hate Washington DC.
Kate Mara: People do. But yeah, all the characters on the show – everyone has some sort of flaw.
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Kate Mara Talks About the Characters on “House of Cards”
Ron Bennington: Well, your character wants the fast track and is willing to take the easy way.
Kate Mara: Yeah.
Ron Bennington: And when I talk about all the horrible people on the show, no one is more horrible than Kevin Spacey in this. He is the worst Machiavellian in history and you are like a fly being led into the spider’s web.
Kate Mara: Kind of into that. But my character is also very…Zoe Barnes is her name – she’s also very smart and knows that maybe letting Frances Underwood (Kevin Spacey’s character) manipulate her – she’s sort of manipulating him as well in getting these big stories.
Ron Bennington: But does she want these big stories because she’s a journalist and wants the truth out there or does she just want fame and power out of it?
Kate Mara: I think that she wants to be a good journalist, but power is a very attractive thing to her. Which is why she’s attracted to him because of his power and I think that’s what strikes…that’s how their relationship forms. She’s got like serious guts and he maybe recognizes a little bit of himself, like a younger version of himself in her because of her crazy drive.
Ron Bennington: But I wonder if that’s like a reflection of the generation now of let’s get it fast. Let’s not work for something for 10, 20 years because you can’t even imagine that far ahead – let’s get it fast.
Kate Mara: Everybody wants it instantly. And also, it’s just another…the fact that our show – that the entire season is coming out on one day – is another version of that, of people wanting everything right away and not having to wait every week for a new episode. But that’s the world we live in now.
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Kata Mara Talks About Releasing the Entire Season at the Same Time
Ron Bennington: How weird is that when you think about it? That an entire season would just come out at the same time.
Kate Mara: It’s pretty crazy.
Ron Bennington: But you know a lot of people watch like that. Like they’ll go – I haven’t watched “Girls” yet, I’m going to watch it this weekend.
Kate Mara: But I feel like most people wait or forget that a show is on and don’t watch it live and have a couple of episodes to watch in a row. And so, they’ll watch them in a row – so it will be interesting to see how fast people will watch this series.
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Kate Mara Talks About Knowing the Full Story Arc
Ron Bennington: Now do you know where your character was going to go on the first episode to the last episode?
Kate Mara: Yes. That was another one of those things that when I sat down with David and talked about it. He literally told me all of major arcs and everything with my character and I knew what was going to happen throughout the whole show. So I didn’t have to go into it blindly which if you do a TV show – you usually get the episode a couple days before you start shooting or whatever. And that’s very unsettling. But with this, it was like doing a movie. I knew all 13 hours what was going to be happening.
Ron Bennington: Yeah, because some of the people on “Homeland” didn’t even know they were helping terrorists. They were like – I didn’t find out till later on that I was really helping terrorists.
Kate Mara: That stresses me out. I want to know. But I like to know. I like to be in control. I just like to know what to expect. I know like the lines…obviously the dialogue and stuff is going to change, but if you have an idea of where you’re going to go and if you’re evil and if you’re not – all those things. I feel like that’s really helpful.
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Kate Mara Talks About Getting Started in Theater and Film
Ron Bennington: You were in theater first, right?
Kate Mara: I started out doing a lot of community theater. I grew up in Bedford, New York and no one had ever been an actor in my family. So instead of having acting lessons, I just did a lot of really bad plays.
Ron Bennington: And your parents had no idea that you were as serious as you were about it?
Kate Mara: No. They knew I was serious. From a very young age, I was leaving notes on their pillows every night – “Please help me find an agent”. (laughs) They were like – who are you? I don’t know what to do with you. But it worked. Eventually a friend of a friend gave us the number of an agent when I was 14 and that’s really how it all started.
Ron Bennington: So you were how young when you said this is what I really want to do?
Kate Mara: I think 9.
Ron Bennington: That’s crazy. Because that’s the stuff you’re suppose to grow out of. You’re not suppose to let a 9 year old make adult decisions that you’re going to be following the rest of your life.
Kate Mara: Yeah, I mean as a kid I wanted to do it. Instead of it getting less intense for me – I just became more and more serious about it as I got older. It’s the only thing I ever ever wanted to do. It was no question for me.
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Kate Talks About Choosing Roles
Ron Bennington: But you go out of your way to kind of pick funky things to do.
Kate Mara: Yeah, only because I think because I’ve been acting for so long – I’m much more clear now about what I’m interested in doing, what kind of roles I’m interested in playing. Like I don’t want to work, just to work. I used to have that mentality.
Ron Bennington: You just want to – I want to get up and have something to do everyday.
Kate Mara: I used to be like that more. Now I would rather wait and find the more interesting project rather than just work on something just to be…
Ron Bennington: But that’s still nerve racking, right? Because actors have that…
Kate Mara: We always think we’re never going to get hired again. (laughs) Always.
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Kate Mara Talks About Football
Ron Bennington: You grew up in a football family. Your family – the Steelers and the Giants – so, Super Bowl week must be crazy for you, right?
Kate Mara: Yeah.
Ron Bennington: Everybody’s all pumped up for it?
Kate Mara: Well, I guess because neither of my teams are…
Ron Bennington: Yeah. For a change. (Kate laughs)
Kate Mara: I know.
Ron Bennington: Seriously. The Steelers and the Giants – you really can’t…
Kate Mara: I know. Boo hoo.
Ron Bennington: You’ve had plenty of opportunities.
Kate Mara: We’ve been very spoiled the last few years, I have to say. But I don’t really care that much about the outcome of the game, but I do love watching it. It will be fun. I love watching.
Ron Bennington: But it’s hard for you to say – I want the Ravens to beat the…
Kate Mara: It’s sort of impossible. Yeah.
Ron Bennington: It’s impossible.
Kate Mara: But we shot this entire series in Baltimore. And from my hotel window, I could see the stadium, so I sort of feel like I should be rooting for them.
Ron Bennington: Well, that town really wants it so bad. I mean they’ve been getting crazier and crazier. Where in New York, this market, they’re just like – yeah, we’re back. It’s going to be World Series, it’s going to be Super Bowl – we’re used to it. Down there, they’re like – look at us. We’re living and we want something to happen. (Kate laughs) Who was your favorite player as a kid?
Kate Mara: Oh..LT. (Lawrence Taylor)
Ron Bennington: Really?
Kate Mara: Yeah. I mean look, as a kid like I remember certain things about growing up, going to the stadium. And one of my first memories is meeting LT and just hearing from my dad like what an incredible player he was. So him and Phil Simms – those were the guys that I grew up knowing that I should like them. (laughs)
Ron Bennington: Well, that’s really weird too because it’s like the difference between like – my dad pointed out players to me, but he never had scouted them. He had never sat around and said this is the guy who could play. So, you were like on this fast track as a little girl.
Kate Mara: Yeah.
Ron Bennington: And then you turn your back on them, on the family business…
Kate Mara: (laughs) I turned my back. Okay.
Ron Bennington: I want to perform!
Kate Mara: I said – dad, I am not going to be a football player. I’m going to be an actor. (laughs)
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Ron Bennington: Well, congratulations to you. I’m a big fan of your work too.
Kate Mara: Thank you so much.
Ron Bennington: I like so many of…”Peep World” is honestly one of those films that I think everybody should see.
Kate Mara: Oh my gosh! Really? Thanks.
Ron Bennington: Yeah. It’s really a bizarre…
Kate Mara: That’s so random.
Ron Bennington: Yeah. It’s a bizarre…
Kate Mara: I wasn’t expecting you to say that.
Ron Bennington: Really interesting. What? You thought “Happythankyoumoreplease” – is that what most people bring up to you?
Kate Mara: No, I don’t know what most…I don’t know – just not that. (laughs)
Ron Bennington: It’s a really crazy dark little film. I really dig it.
Kate Mara: Oh thanks.
Ron Bennington: But this one is now the new way we’re going to watch. It’s going to be on Netflix. Get the entire season the same day. Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and of course, Kate Mara. Thank you so much Kate. Best of luck with everything you do.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwUzF1q5w4]===================================================================
Find out more about “House of Cards” on Netflix.com and follow Kate Mara on Twitter @_KateMara.
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You can hear this interview in its entirety exclusively on SiriusXM satellite radio. Not yet a subscriber? Click here for a free trial subscription.
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You can learn more about Ron Bennington’s two interview shows, Unmasked and Ron Bennington Interviews atRonBenningtonInterviews.com.
