‘House Of Cards’ Star Michael Kelly On Kevin Spacey Exit: ‘It’s Heartbreaking’

The “House of Cards” cast is now opening up one by one about their thoughts on lead star Kevin Spacey’s scandal. This time, Michael Kelly, who plays Doug Stamper in the series, is sharing his opinion.

Kelly told Aol that he was just as shocked as everyone when the news first surfaced, and Spacey’s exit from the Netflix series is really a huge shift for him since most of his scenes were with the actor.

“It’s such a mixed bag of emotions because I was with that guy every single day. Almost the majority of my work other than the Rachel (Brosnahan) stuff, most of my stuff was with Kevin,” he said. “To go back to the same stages, to the same sets, slightly altered with a new President obviously, but to go back to those sets and all of a sudden be with completely different people, it was a strange feeling. I don’t even know how to put it into words because you know one thing for so long and then all of a sudden it’s a completely different world you’re living in.”

Kelly added that he went through “a million emotions” before processing the whole thing. Still, he refuses to talk about the scandal because “it was heartbreaking in so many ways.”

Kelly also said that he hasn’t talked to Spacey since the sexual assault scandal leaked, and everything he knows is based on the news. “It’s tough,” he said. “You go from talking to someone often to not at all, and in any profession, in anything, circumstances removed, what happened removed, it’s strange … and I’m still processing. I haven’t formulated any opinion, and I haven’t talked publicly about it. This is the first thing I’ve ever said.”

The show almost didn’t push through with its sixth season after Spacey was implicated last year with several sexual harassment accusations. He was first accused by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp of sexual misconduct dating back to 1986. Rapp was only 14 years old then, while Spacey was 26. After Rapp’s confession, several other men, including “House of Cards” crew members, also came forward with their own sexual harassment stories against Spacey.

Thankfully, the show was saved when producers and writers decided to let Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) take center stage. In the trailer for the next season, White House employees were seen going around the office. The camera then moves towards the Oval Office, where Claire is sitting. She swirls her chair around, stands, then looks directly at the camera. “We’re just getting started,” she confidently said.

After, the words “Hail to the Chief” flashed on the screen.

“House of Cards” Season 6 will be released sometime in the fall.