It shouldn't come as a surprise that Beau Willimon loves Netflix, the company that made him famous with his series House of Cards. But showrunners don't always have such ideal relationships with their networks (see: Dan Harmon and NBC). Willimon says the difference is, Netflix actually gives showrunners creative control.
"I think it’s the smartest business model out there. When you give artists the opportunity to make what they want to make, place faith in them, allow them to take risks, to push boundaries, to even flirt with failure and take those risks, then you’re going to get the best possible work, because that’s what they thirst for," he says.
"They certainly have thoughts about things and sometimes very good ideas — I’ll steal a good idea from anyone — but there’s no obligation or dictate, some corporate memo that says “you must do X, Y or Z.” So the respect goes both ways and I think that results in a healthy, creative and collaborative environment, which leads to the best work that we have to offer."
Willimon didn't spill any details about season three, but he did say Bill Clinton admitted that House of Cards was pretty accurate. "The one percent that’s not accurate is you can never pass an education bill that fast,” he told series star Kevin Spacey.
Season three hits Netflix in February 2015.
