Robin admits that she's 'surprised' and 'saddened' after learning about the sexual misconduct allegations against her 'House of Cards' co-star.

• Jul 10, 2018

AceShowbiz - Actress Robin Wright Penn a.k.a. Robin Wright has avoided discussing Kevin Spacey's sexual misconduct scandal in detail because she doesn't think she has "the right" to weigh in on the sensitive subject.

The Oscar winner portrayed corrupt U.S. President Frank Underwood opposite Robin as First Lady Claire on Netflix's hit political drama series House of Cards until last year (17), when Spacey was fired by streaming service bosses amid mounting allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which first surfaced in late October, during the rise of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

The cast and crew had just started working on the sixth and final season of the show when Spacey was dumped from the series, forcing producers to halt production so writers could tweak the storyline, which was already set to centre on Robin's ruthless character as Claire Underwood took over as President.

Robin admits everyone on set was rocked by the accusations made against the show's leading man, who stands accused of pinning Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp down on a bed back in 1986, when he was 14, and Spacey was 26.

"I think we were all surprised, of course, and ultimately, saddened," she told breakfast show Today as she addressed the controversy for the first time in a pre-taped interview.

And although they had worked well together, the actress never got to know Kevin socially, so she isn't comfortable offering up her thoughts on the allegations of sexual assault.

"We were co-workers, really," she said. "We never socialised outside of work. (We had a) respectful, professional relationship. He was so great with me, (he) was never disrespectful to me, so that's my personal experience. That's the only thing I feel that I have the right to talk about".

Asked if she had noticed any "red flags" in his behaviour, Robin explained, "Kevin and I knew each other between action and cut, and in between setups where we would giggle... I didn't know the man. I knew the incredible craftsman that he is".

Robin hasn't heard from Spacey or tried to reach out to him since his House of Cards dismissal, but indicates that she stands by Netflix bosses for distancing the show from the scandal.

"I think at that time, the shock was so intense, all over the nation for many reasons, many stories, many people, I think that everybody felt that it was respectful to back off," she shared, as she pondered whether Netflix officials had made the right call in cutting ties with Spacey.

Now Robin is just grateful that producers allowed the rest of the cast to properly wrap up the show for fans.

"We forged ahead and we were so thankful that we were able to complete the series, as planned," she added.

The last season of House of Cards is set to premiere on Netflix this autumn.

Meanwhile, dozens of other alleged victims have since come forward with similar claims of sexual misconduct against Spacey, leading police in London to open investigations into a number of formal complaints, with three more added to the case load last week, July 03.