Robin Wright has said she resonated with a story about “human resilience” as she was looking for her first film to direct.
The House Of Cards star, 55, plays a woman dealing with life-altering loss and grief who decides to remove herself from society to embark on a solitary existence living off-grid in the remote mountain wilderness of Wyoming in the movie Land, which is also her feature directing debut.
The actress said she was looking for new material as the political drama, in which she played Claire Underwood, the wife of Kevin Spacey’s scheming politician Frank Underwood, came to an end.
Wright’s Claire assumed the presidency of the United States in the sixth and final series of the show, after Spacey exited amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
She told the PA news agency: “I was definitely searching for material, knowing that House of Cards was coming to an end in a few months, and this one just landed.
“And I feel like whether you’re acting or directing, it is seasonal. Where are you in your life at that time? Why are you resonating with that material then?
“And this particular message of human resilience and the power of that, and the hope you feel at the end of the story (really resonated).
“The most important thing is that we need human connection, and the kindness of others, and how important that cycle is to get through hard times.”
Wright, best known for films such as Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride and Wonder Woman, had previously directed episodes of House Of Cards but was yet to direct a full-length feature film and said working on the Netflix show stood her in good stead.
She said: “Without question. In addition to an incredible team, that’s your support system, it’s basically like your backbone.
“And I had that tenfold, I had three incredible producers, our AD was also a producer and all of them have been in the business for over 35 years, so veterans.
“When you’re in front of the camera you have to have that trust in that team of people, because you’re looking to them to say ‘Was that a good take? Should we do it again.’
“And backing up from that, you have to have multiple conversations about the vision of the movie that you have, make sure we’re all on the same page, so that we don’t have a miscommunication on the set on the day that you’re shooting those scenes.”
Land is out in UK cinemas on June 4.
