When Vladimir Putin conquered Netflix
Warning: spoiler alert! If you haven’t watched Season 3 of House of Cards, you may want to stop reading now.
Love him or hate him, (now President) Frank Underwood is back for another season. What better way to amp up the political drama than by adding Russia to the mix?
Since Vladimir Putin is keeping busy, House of Cards called up the second-best choice for the role of Russian head of state: Lars Mikkelsen, aka Frank Underwood’s newest frenemy, Russian President Viktor Petrov.
Petrov vs Putin
So how does the fictitious Russian President Viktor Petrov stack up against the real deal?
While Putin has that same steely-eyed look as his fictional counterpart, Petrov has the upper hand on height.
Actor Lars Mikkelsen stands at about 6'4" whereas the real V.P. stops short at 5' 7."
In a recent interview, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova said Petrov’s face “is too withered. This is an early Putin, before Botox.”
Some thought his accent was unrealistic.
Petrov’s English hardens the stereotypically soft Russian-sounding English because he is played by a Dane. Putin actually prefers to speak German — he was even stationed in East Germany while at the KGB. Petrov’s rise to power more or less mirrors that of Putin.
The newly divorced Petrov is flamboyant about his drinking and his womanizing and is more like Boris Yeltsin than Putin.
Of course, Petrov is a little classier:
But where Petrov’s big move was stealing a kiss on screen, Putin annexed Crimea as the world watched.
Think Frank Underwood could have handled this V.P.?
