Cody Fern reveals changes to House of Cards role after Kevin Spacey exit

Actor Cody Fern has revealed that his role in the final season of House of Cards underwent significant changes following the departure of Kevin Spacey. Originally, Fern was cast as a primary villain described as a “Jared Kushner type” who was closely linked to Spacey’s character, President Frank Underwood.

Following allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey in late 2017, Netflix terminated the actor and suspended production. This led to a major restructuring of the series. When filming resumed in 2018, the storyline pivoted to focus on Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright, as the new president, while Frank Underwood was written out via a heart attack.

Fern returned for the retooled season in a reduced capacity as Duncan Shepherd, the son of a wealthy power broker. While the character retained some elements of the original concept, Fern noted that the role lost much of its intended weight, describing the final version of the character as “a wonderful wallflower.”