Photos & interviews: Janet Donovan
On video camera: Andrew Dubbs
“I am incredibly honored to be hung in the Smithsonian … Oh, that’s right. I made that joke,” said Kevin Spacey at the after-party for the DC premiere of the fourth season of House of Cards at The National Portrait Gallery where we spent most of our day and night. “It’s really fun to blur fact and fiction to the point where no one fucking knows what the hell is going on,” he added referencing the portrait. As they say: “Art imitates Life” ….. which means that Spacey arrived at the Gallery earlier in the day in full “President Francis Underwood” character and maintained that persona throughout the evening.
Double Trouble: Kevin Spacey & President Francis Underwood
The portrait is a joint collaboration between preeminent British portrait artist Jonathan Yeo and the museum. With Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos and the director of NPG Kim Sajet in tow, the invited audience popped a few questions after an introduction by Sarandos: “It is a great honor to see one of our most renowned series’ character immortalized in the National Portrait Gallery, alongside such esteemed presidential portraits. We have watched as the character of Frank Underwood has taken hold in popular culture and this wonderful portrait by Jonathan Yeo is a fine testament to the impact of the character that Kevin Spacey has created. We are delighted to celebrate this unprecedented event with the premiere of the fourth season of House of Cards.”
Jonathan Yeo and President Underwood
Directed to Yeo: “How is this different from the last time you painted Kevin in a significant role?” “I know him a bit better now,” replied Yeo. “He’s wearing a slightly different outfit.” His previous engagement with Spacey was for a portrait of him in his role as Shakespeare’s Richard III. This time there was no crown, although we suspect that President Underwood would have liked that. “The idea really came about because of the last painting. I didn’t think either of us knew at that stage that it was going to become a series, and that I’d become a thorn in his side, and that I’d end up being a bit like an artist in a totalitarian country – painting portraits of our dear leader for every public building. I try to get a bit of sense of who the person is. At the same time there’s a freedom with it too. You are able to enjoy the pantomime aspect of a performance, particularly one which is such an extraordinary and resonant one as this one, and not worry about whether someone, whether the subject is going to feel that you’ve been too fair to them or flattered them, or any of that sort of thing. The fun here is to deliberately make the audience feel a bit uncomfortable with being confronted with the painting, hence the pose. It’s slightly larger than life, it’s good. It’ll be hung a bit higher than that, so it’ll be bearing down at you, with the foot, possibly, closer to your head than … We know each other well enough now to discuss all these things along the way, and it evolves and gets a bit more intense and a bit madder as it goes on.”
Director of the National Portrait Gallery Kim Sajet, artist Jonathan Yeo and President Francis Underwood
“There were a lot of people tonight who I think were asking, ‘So who’s that actress playing that part?’ And we had to tell them that she actually is the director of the NPG.” said Spacey. “First, I think I should start by thanking you. It’s a remarkably forward thinking thing to have done. It’s really cool. I’m sure it was slightly out of your comfort zone when the whole thing began to evolve and emerge and all the discussions happened over these many, many months since we thought this might be a fun way to launch season 4; but also to unveil this portrait that Johnathan has done I thank you for that and your entire staff here, you guys have been incredible and I think put on a remarkable evening. Johnathan, obviously, you have become a great pal. And this is the third portrait he’s done of me in performance and I think there’s a particular thing about portraiture capturing performance, it’s incredibly exciting.”
Jonathan Yeo, Kim Sajet and President Underwood
“We were captivated by Jonathan’s bold idea to depict Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, which also reflects the changing way in which people consume media,” said Sajet. “Now, ‘binge watching’ television has put control into the hands of consumers who can watch their favorite shows at their leisure. Not only does it reflect the impact of popular contemporary culture on shows at their leisure on America’s story but it also exemplifies the fine art tradition of actors portrayed in their roles.”
“I”m pleased that the Smithsonian continues to prove itself as a worthwhile institution,” responded Spacey. “I’m one step closer to convincing the rest of the country that I am the President.”
Prior to the screening we ran into friends and House of Cards talent in the lobby.
“The character of Underwood, a Machiavellian politician with an insatiable and unscrupulous appetite for power, has captured the imagination of audiences around the world since the launch of House of Cards on Netflix in 2013,” according to Netflix. “Based on the British miniseries of the same name, Netflix’s launch of House of Cards was seen as a game changer in the broadcasting industry because it was delivered to audiences as a full series rather than broadcast in the usual weekly episodic pattern. This precipitated a revolution in television and has been credited with a fundamental shift in viewing habits with audiences, who are now in control of their own schedules.”
President Francis Underwood…a.k.a. Kevin Spacey
Hollywood on the Potomac hit up the Red Carpet and chatted with the stars:
The Portrait Unveiling:
