House of Cards Had a Much Darker Villain Story That Never Happened

Cody Fern’s original role on House of Cards was nothing like what audiences eventually saw on screen. The actor revealed the drastic changes his character underwent after the show’s behind-the-scenes implosion reshaped its final season.

How Cody Fern’s original role changed after Kevin Spacey’s exit

Cody Fern originally landed the role of the main villain in House of Cards season 6, Fern told Entertainment Weekly. He described the character as “a Jared Kushner type” tied closely to Kevin Spacey’s President Frank Underwood. Production had been underway for a couple of months before everything changed.

Netflix fired Spacey in November 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct the previous month. The show suspended production, and the storyline built around Fern’s villain collapsed alongside Spacey’s departure. “We filmed for a couple of months and then the nuclear bomb hit,” Fern said.

When filming resumed in January 2018, the show pivoted to Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood as the new president. The writers killed off Frank Underwood with a heart attack. Fern returned for the retooled final season but in a significantly reduced capacity.

His character, Duncan Shepherd, still carried traces of the original Kushner-inspired role. Duncan was the son of wealthy power broker Annette Shepherd, played by Diane Lane. The Shepherd family, inspired by the Koch brothers, attempted to undermine Claire’s presidency alongside Annette’s brother Bill, played by Greg Kinnear.

Despite those story threads, Fern acknowledged the character lost its original weight. He described Duncan Shepherd as “a wonderful wallflower” in the finished season. “So I got to have the pre- and post-[Spacey] experience. And I’ve got some wild stories,” Fern teased. He spoke to EW while promoting his directorial debut, Closing Night, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Back in February 2018, Fern had expressed excitement about joining the show. “I’m over the moon. I’m thrilled,” he said at the time. He also clarified rumors, stating his character was not a lover of Spacey’s Frank Underwood.

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