A couple thousand people in Maryland have a lot riding on “House of Cards.”
Michael Piekutowski, who has worked as an electrician on the series since Season 4, waits to see whether the hit Netflix drama will survive star Kevin Spacey’s sexual misconduct scandal.
“House of Cards,” which for five seasons has been filmed in and around Baltimore, is one of the state’s biggest productions. Piekutowski told CNN the show helps the city’s economy, not just those who work on set.
“There are local businesses that are benefiting from a major studio production, like caterers, dry cleaners, transportation companies,” he said.
Last week, Netflix cut ties with Spacey, who was also an executive producer for the series, a day after CNN published new allegations of sexual harassment from several current and former members of the “House of Cards” production staff.
One member of the production staff also accused Spacey of sexual assault. Spacey’s representatives did not reply to a request for comment on the new allegations in CNN’s report. They also did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on this story.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of ‘House of Cards’ that includes Kevin Spacey,” a spokesperson for the network said. “We will continue to work with [Media Rights Capital] during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.” Media Rights Capital is the production company behind “House of Cards.”
Actor Anthony Rapp first made allegations against Spacey in a story published by BuzzFeed last week in which he said Spacey made a sexual advance toward him at a party in 1986 when Rapp was 14 year old.
Spacey issued a statement apologizing to Rapp, who appears on CBS’s “Star Trek: Discovery.” Spacey claimed he did not recall the incident, but offered “the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
Netflix suspended production on Season 6 of “House of Cards” — set to be the show’s last — as a result.
Sources told CNN that the decision, while made public after the first accusation against Spacey, had been known by the production team for months.
The Emmy-winning series has proved a boon to the state of Maryland, where recognizable landmarks have made their way into “House of Cards” episodes. Fans will recognize Patterson Park in Southeast Baltimore as the place where Spacey’s character, Frank Underwood, likes to ride his bike.
The Baltimore County Historic Courthouse in Towson has subbed for the halls of Congress and viewers can venture to the nearby café, Cunningham’s, to see the site where the character Seth Grayson takes a meeting in Season 5.
For Season 4 alone, almost 2,700 cast, crew and extras were hired from Maryland, and the production bought or rented goods or services from almost 2,000 Maryland vendors, according to the Maryland…
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