It's much more interesting when you go to different places - make a left turn when nobody expects you to make a left turn, and make a right when nobody expects you to do that.

For me, coming to work every day has turned out to be exactly what I hoped it would be.

I never doubted at all. If you ever doubt then you are in trouble. I never thought: 'I should do this or that in case I don't make it.' I never had a back-up plan.

I have talked to more people who are in politics who have said to me, "[House of Cards] is closer than you can imagine. It's the most accurate description of how politics actually works that we've ever seen." I mean, West Wing - beautiful, wonderful idea of how democracy should work. But I've had more people in politics say they think House of Cards is closer. I - don't know whether to take that as a compliment or a sad state of affairs.

Success is like death. The more successful you become, the higher the houses in the hills get and the higher the fences get.

The process of doing a play is an organic one and the process of doing a film is totally un-organic.

I can imagine there is going to come a time when someone will do 13 hours of a story without breaks.