Netflix's 'House of Cards' is game changer, Kevin Spacey says

1/20

From “Breaking Bad’s” big win to the world’s shortest acceptance speech, here’s a look at some of the best and worst moments from the 2013 Emmy Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

2/20

E!’s red carpet coverage has pioneered such red carpet firsts as the finger fetish-izing “Mani-Cam,” but this year’s addition, the “Glamazoom,” may be the least inspiring yet. The camera allows E!’s red carpet experts to zoom in on the details of any starlet’s Emmy ensemble and really be able to critique it with maximum effectiveness. We can only hope that deep within the E! channel’s bunker, there is a J. Robert Oppenheimer-like figure, wracked with fear and remorse over the red carpet innovation he has unleashed upon the world. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

3/20

Aside from all the blah-blah-blah, occasionally, a true, interesting moment transpires in front of the cameras on the red carpet. In this case, it was “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons meeting “Behind the Candelabra” star Michael Douglas for the very first time. Douglas went out of his way to praise Parsons and tell him how much his children enjoyed watching his show. Parsons, visibly taken aback said, “You’re so nice.” Douglas replied, “No, I’m not.” Right away, Parsons replied, “Well, you’re not mean.” Great comeback and part of the reason Parsons keeps winning these things. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

4/20

Guliana Rancic asked newlywed Aaron Paul, nominated for his role in “Breaking Bad,” about what viewers would see if E! were to do a reality series about Paul’s first year of marriage to wife, Lauren Parsekian (pictured). Paul attempted to answer as honestly as he could, but did we mention his mom was standing right there? She was. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

5/20

CBS almost had a messy situation on its hands when the NFL game between the Jets and the Bills nearly ran into the scheduled Emmy broadcast time. What dedicated awards fans could have been thinking when they switched over from E! to find football encroaching on their glamour-ama is anyone’s guess. Crying? Swearing? Gnashing of teeth? Yet somehow, as if by magic, the game ended just one minute before 5 p.m. PDT. (Rich Schultz / Getty Images)

6/20

After several sterling Tony Awards hosting jobs, everyone seemed primed to see him bring that same magic to the Emmys. Sadly, NPH (second from right) is only a mortal. Same as you and me. And like you and me, he stumbled his way through an awkward and interminable opening film and monologue that was extended to painfully unfunny lengths through the addition of four former Emmy hosts (including, from left, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon). (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

7/20

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler heckling from the audience: “Take your pants off! Twerk!” and Kevin Spacey channeling his Frank Underwood role from “House of Cards” were clever and fun highlights. (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times)

8/20

It’s rare that the first award of the night offers up the best speech, but in this case it’s true. Supporting actress in a comedy series winner Merrit Wever was visibly shocked when she won the award for her role on the Showtime series “Nurse Jackie.” So shocked, in fact, that she gave one of the all-time great acceptance speeches: “Thank you so much! Um -- I gotta go. Bye.” In three sentences, she earned the respect of every award-weary performer in Hollywood. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

9/20

The Emmys are a celebration of TV, which is nice because most everything on TV is archived in some capacity. So it was an odd choice to not air a single moment of footage of the late Jonathan Winters during his tribute. Instead, Robin Williams spoke eloquently about the man and even performed a bit of one of his most famous routines. It’s nice that Williams has such clear memories of Winters, the rest of us will have to make due with Williams’ Winters impression. Or Rob Reiner’s best Archie Bunker. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

10/20

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale carried their characters from “Veep” up on the stage for Dreyfus’ win for actress in a comedy series. Hale, who had just won for supporting actor in a comedy series, stood behind, holding her clutch and whispering acceptance speech suggestions, such as “You love them so much.” If only more performers brought their characters on stage with them, maybe people wouldn’t dread award speeches so much. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

11/20

Tonight’s mid-Emmy restroom/snack, brought to you by Elton John, came at an inopportune moment for CBS. For while Sir Elton was lulling the Nokia Theatre audience asleep to the tune of his new Liberace tribute song, the at-home audience was discovering that the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad” was starting right at that moment. Hey, where did everybody go? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

12/20

Laura Linney didn’t attend the Emmys, and surprise, surprise, she won the award for lead actress in a miniseries for “The Big C: Hereafter.” Getting in a slight dig, presenter Matt Damon told the crowd, “She’s such a great actress, she didn’t even need to show up.” That’ll teach her. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

13/20

“Homeland” writer Henry Bromell died earlier this year, so when it was announced that he had won the Emmy for best writing in a drama series, his widow came to the stage. Visibly moved, Sarah Bromell kept her remarks very short but very affecting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

14/20

Here’s where we say something about how host Neil Patrick Harris seemed obligated to do a song-and-dance number for the Emmys and, therefore, did a song called “This Is the Number in the Middle of the Show,” which seemed uninspired and dull. And then we wrote something about how it didn’t seem like anyone really cared enough to put their hearts into it. And neither did we. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

15/20

Bobby Cannavale was up against Mandy Patinkin, Aaron Paul and other great actors for the supporting actor in a drama series. But Cannavale was the surprise winner for “Boardwalk Empire.” His gushing, astonished, self-effacing speech was better than the usual canned emotion given out by long-expected winners. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

16/20

There’s nothing like giving an award to an underdog to get some good TV. For best actor in a drama series, most thought it would go to Bryan Cranston, Kevin Spacey or Damian Lewis. But no, it was Jeff Daniels, starring in the polarizing HBO drama “The Newsroom,” who won. And just to prove how much he didn’t expect it, Daniels came on stage chewing gum. “Well, crap,” he said, by way of acceptance. Indeed. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images)

17/20

The Emmys decided to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of 1963 this year, which included such Emmy-worthy moments as the JFK assassination. It also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ American TV debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which technically happened in 1964. To pay tribute, singer Carrie Underwood performed the Beatles’ hit “Yesterday,” which actually didn’t come out until 1965. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

18/20

Michael Douglas’ personal life may be a little rough these days (he recently separated from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones), but he was in rare form when he came to the stage to accept the Emmy for lead actor in a miniseries or movie for playing flamboyant piano-playing superstar Liberace in the HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra.” Referring to his co-star and onscreen lover, Matt Damon, Douglas quipped, “This was a two-hander, and you’re only as good as your other hand. Matt, you deserve half this. You want the bottom or the top?” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

19/20

The final few minutes of any marathon awards show can find most people a little punchy. Maybe that’s why Will Ferrell’s bit about coming on stage in shorts and T-shirt with his three kids in tow went over so well. Claiming that he was a last-minute presenter to announce the winners of best comedy series and best drama series, the Ferrell clan stole the show. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

20/20

“Modern Family” won the Emmy for best comedy series, and “Breaking Bad” won for best drama series. Neither show was a surprise win, but “Family” executive producer Steve Levitan summed up the feelings perfectly with his speech: “This may be the saddest Emmys ever, but we couldn’t be happier.” (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

By Deborah Vankin

July 18, 2013 10:14 AM PT

Netflix’s political thriller “House of Cards” made television history on Thursday as the first online-delivered TV series to be recognized by the Academy with an Emmy nod -- nine, overall.

The weight of this was not lost on Kevin Spacey, who received a nomination for lead actor in a drama for his role as the show’s machiavellian, “get it done” Democrat, Francis Underwood.

Showtracker caught up with Spacey for a quick Q&A just before he was headed out for a day of shooting.

This is unprecedented. Amid all the congratulations, are you able to absorb what a big deal it is, historically, for the industry?

“It’s pretty great, pretty great for the show. We got nine nominations, which is extraordinary because we are the new kids on the block. But also, there were all these questions swirling around: ‘Would we be able to break through because of the way the show is distributed?’ It’s a fantastic acknowledgment for MRC and Netflix and the show.

Look, we’re the new kids on the block, and for us to break through in such a competitive field with so much great work being done -- it’s incredibly satisfying and a great acknowledgment for the show. It’s just wonderful that the academy has recognized the show in so many categories.

How do you think the “House of Cards” nomination will change things for TV?

It’s great for Netflix and the medium, and I expect we will start to see, hopefully, more organizations and companies stepping up and saying, ‘We want to order more programs and get into the content game.’ For the industry, it’s great because it creates jobs for more writers and more directors and more actors.

How did you feel as the names in your category were being rattled off on TV?

“I was very pleased, but it was a bit nerve-racking because they do it alphabetically, and [I was] the last name they read. So was Robin [Wright]’s. I’m also very pleased our casting got nominated because that’s paramount to our success.

What is it about the show that has resonated?

I think, regardless of how it’s distributed, the academy looks for quality. When we set out to do the series, we didn’t think a lot about how it would be distributed. It was midway through shooting that those conversations were ongoing. And ultimately a group decision was made to put the whole season out at once for the audience to be in control and to have the freedom to watch when they wanted to watch. We don’t set out creatively thinking about how it’s distributed.

WATCH: The Envelope - Emmy Round Table | Drama

Did the new distribution model affect production or the creative process at all?

Because we weren’t obligated to do a pilot, test it, come up with artificial cliffhangers and all that, we were able to get on with the story -- and we had 26 episodes to do that. Netflix and MRC just went whole hog and said, ‘Go for it.’ That’s quite interesting and, frankly, a bit of a gamble -- a two-season order with no pilot. That was unprecedented. And it allowed us to get on with the storytelling. From a creative standpoint, it got everyone’s juices going and was very exciting.

Were you surprised by how many nominations “House of Cards” received?

I don’t think there’s any way to ever know how these things will go. I was very happy we were just in the conversation.

WATCH: The Envelope - Emmys Round Table | Comedy

Are you a fan of any of the nominees you’re up against?

I love “Game of Thrones,” “Breaking Bad.” Hugh [Bonneville], I directed at [London’s] the Old Vic almost 10 years ago now. Jeff Daniels, I’ve known for a number of years. It’s a wonderful group of actors. Let the betting begin!

Francis can be a difficult character to watch sometimes. What do you think audiences see in him -- what’s the point of connection?

Francis is an incredibly complex character; and maybe, to some degree, there’s always been a fascination with American politics and how it’s treated in entertainment. We’re a nation fascinated with politics, particularly at a time when there’s such a gridlock in Washington, D.C. However diabolical [Francis] may be, he gets stuff done. So it has to be fictional, right?

Is there anything you can tell us about next season?

I can’t say. But I’m having an even better time shooting Season 2. I’m surrounded by an extraordinary group. We’re having a ball.

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Twitter.com/@debvankin