《紙牌屋》里的總統(tǒng)與他的好基友克林頓

Kevin Spacey, Star of ‘House of Cards’ and a Bromance With Bill Clinton

《紙牌屋》里的總統(tǒng)與他的好基友克林頓

Before Kevin Spacey got into character as Francis Underwood, the fictional congressman who by the third season of “House of Cards” has murdered and manipulated his way into the Oval Office, he liked to portray a real-life president: Bill Clinton.

在《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)第三季，凱文·斯佩西(Kevin Spacey)所飾演的虛構(gòu)出來的國會議員弗朗西斯·安德伍德(Francis Underwood)，靠著謀殺和搞陰謀詭計，最終入主總統(tǒng)辦公室;在接演這個角色之前，斯派西喜歡扮演生活中的一位真正總統(tǒng)——比爾·克林頓(Bill Clinton)。

“We, in fact, have spent so much time together that sometimes I even become him,” Mr. Spacey said last fall at an event in Little Rock, Ark., to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center.

“其實我們老混在一起，有時候我覺得自己簡直變成了他，”去年秋天，斯佩西在阿肯色州小石城威廉姆·J·克林頓總統(tǒng)中心落成10周年慶祝典禮上說。

“I’m from a place called Hope,” Mr. Spacey said as he feigned Mr. Clinton’s Arkansas accent, which sounded vaguely like Underwood, who is from South Carolina.

“我來自一個名叫霍普的地方，”斯佩西模仿著克林頓的阿肯色口音說道，這口音聽起來稍微有點像安德伍德，劇中他是南卡羅萊納人。

“Let me tell you one thing, I love that ‘House of Cards’ — it’s so good,” Mr. Spacey continued in his Clinton voice. “Ninety-nine percent of what they do on that show is real, and the 1 percent they got wrong is that you could never get an education bill passed that fast.”

“讓我告訴你們一件事，我喜歡《紙牌屋》——它太棒了，”斯佩西繼續(xù)模仿著克林頓，“這部劇里99%的事都是真的，1%的錯誤是，教育法案不可能那么快就通過。”

Mr. Clinton joined Mr. Spacey onstage, and a bromance between the two men ensued. Mr. Clinton grinned widely, relishing the impersonation. He put his arm around Mr. Spacey.

后來克林頓也登上了舞臺，兩人之間基情四溢?？肆诸D露出一個開朗的笑容，很享受斯佩西的扮演。他伸出胳膊摟著斯佩西。

It was only the latest public display of affection between an actor, who is currently best known for portraying one of the most morally bankrupt presidents ever to come out of Hollywood, and a former president, who ever since he played the saxophone on “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1992, has had a special bond with the small screen.

斯佩西目前最出名的角色，就是飾演了一個好萊塢歷史上道德最為敗壞的總統(tǒng)，而克林頓這位前總統(tǒng)1992年曾在“阿瑟尼奧·豪爾秀”上演奏薩克斯，從此與電視結(jié)下了不解之緣;兩人之前就曾經(jīng)在公共場合秀恩愛，這回只不過是最近的一次。

Mr. Spacey, a Democratic donor, first met Mr. Clinton in the White House during his first term. In two industries — politics and entertainment — known for fleeting friendships of convenience, the men seemed to genuinely bond. They stayed in touch and grew closer in Mr. Clinton’s post-presidency, talking a couple times a month and collaborating often on philanthropic work. It’s a relationship that is well known to those close to Mr. Clinton and that has become evident since I began covering him and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. If you look closely at the décor in Underwood’s office on “House of Cards,” you’ll see a photo of Mr. Spacey and Mr. Clinton at dinner together plugging away on their BlackBerrys. The photo is likely to move to the White House with President Underwood in Season 3, which will begin streaming on Netflix on Feb. 27.

斯佩西是民主黨的贊助者，他和克林頓第一次見面是在白宮，當(dāng)時正值克林頓的第一個任期。政治與娛樂業(yè)的友誼一向以轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝、各取所需著稱，這兩人之間卻似乎建立了真正的聯(lián)系。在克林頓結(jié)束任期之后，他們一直保持聯(lián)系，并且愈來愈親密，每月都要在一起聊幾次，還經(jīng)常在慈善事業(yè)中合作。熟悉克林頓的人都知道這段友誼，自從我開始報道克林頓和他的妻子希拉里·羅德姆·克林頓(Hillary Rodham Clinton)開始，它就更是廣為人們所知。如果你仔細觀察《紙牌屋》里安德伍德的辦公室，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)斯佩西與克林頓一邊共進晚餐一邊玩黑莓手機的照片。這張照片很可能也會在第三季里隨同安德伍德總統(tǒng)一起進入白宮，這一季將于2月27日在Netflix以流媒體形式上映。

Of all the TV shows for Mr. Clinton to be associated with as Mrs. Clinton prepares for a 2016 presidential campaign, the coldly cynical depiction of Washington in “House of Cards” might not be the best for political optics.

克林頓目前正陪伴克林頓夫人一起為2016年的總統(tǒng)競選進行準(zhǔn)備，把自己同以冷峻諷刺的風(fēng)格描寫華府的《紙牌屋》聯(lián)系起來，或許不是最佳政治策略。

Better to remind voters of the “The West Wing,” Aaron Sorkin’s optimistic ode to the Clinton years with President Josiah Bartlet as an unwavering liberal champion with none of the foibles of the real-life Mr. Clinton. Or, perhaps the current “Madam Secretary,” the glossy CBS drama with Téa Leoni as a glamorous and effective C.I.A. agent-turned secretary of state.

最好還是讓選民聯(lián)想到《白宮風(fēng)云》(The West Wing)吧，這是亞倫·索金(Aaron Sorkin)對克林頓年代的一曲樂觀主義頌歌，片中的喬希亞·巴特勒(Josiah Bartlet)總統(tǒng)是個毫不動搖的自由主義捍衛(wèi)者，而且沒有現(xiàn)實生活中的克林頓身上的任何缺點。又或者應(yīng)該讓選民想起《國務(wù)卿女士》(Madam Secretary)，這是CBS臺精心打造的劇集，蒂婭·里歐妮(Téa Leoni)飾演一位漂亮精干、中情局特工出身的國務(wù)卿。

After all, the second season of “House of Cards” included Underwood pushing a young journalist in front of a train and having a threesome with his wife, Claire, played by Robin Wright, and his eager-to-please secret service agent Edward Meechum.

況且，《紙牌屋》第二季中，安德伍德把一個年輕記者推下鐵軌，還和他的妻子——羅賓·懷特(Robin Wright)飾演的克萊爾(Clarie)，以及熱衷討好他們的內(nèi)勤人員愛德華·米坎姆(Edward Meechum)大玩3p。

Not exactly the stuff of a 2016 campaign ad. (Representatives for Mr. Spacey, Mr. Clinton and Netflix declined to comment for this article.)

這可不是什么2016年競選廣告(斯佩西、克林頓先生與Netflix的代表都拒絕為本文而接受采訪)。

Still, the Clintons have not been shy about their ties to “House of Cards.” Last summer, Mrs. Clinton told People magazine she and Mr. Clinton “totally binge-watched” the first season. After a crushing travel schedule as secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton said part of the appeal was “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we can just sit here and do this.”

但是，克林頓夫婦并不恥于談起他們同《紙牌屋》的聯(lián)系。去年夏天，克林頓夫人告訴《人物》雜志(People)，她和克林頓先生“一口氣看完了”第一季。當(dāng)時出任國務(wù)卿的克林頓夫人剛剛結(jié)束一次令人筋疲力盡的旅行，她說，劇集的魅力部分來自于，她邊看邊驚嘆，“我的天哪，我可不敢相信我們僅坐在這兒就能把這件事給做了。”

The connection extends beyond Mr. Spacey and Mr. Clinton’s friendship. Before he became a TV writer and playwright, the “House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon worked as an intern on Mrs. Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign.

這種聯(lián)系還不止于斯佩西與克林頓先生的友情?！都埮莆荨返闹鲃?chuàng)鮑爾·威利蒙(Beau Willimon)在成為電視劇和舞臺劇編劇之前，曾在克林頓夫人2000年的參議員競選班底中擔(dān)任實習(xí)生。

Jay Carson, a political consultant on “House of Cards” and a college friend of Mr. Willimon, worked as a press secretary to Mr. Clinton and served as Mrs. Clinton’s traveling press aide during her 2008 presidential campaign.

《紙牌屋》的政治顧問杰伊·卡森(Jay Carson)是威利蒙在大學(xué)時的好友，曾為克林頓先生擔(dān)任媒體秘書，為克林頓夫人擔(dān)任2008年競選總統(tǒng)期間的旅行媒體助理。

In August, Mr. Spacey, in character as Underwood, made a spoof video posted online in honor of Mr. Clinton’s 68th birthday. Underwood pretends to be Mr. Clinton and prank-calls Mrs. Clinton. He suggests that their daughter, Chelsea, then pregnant with her first child, name the baby “Frank” and tries to goad Mrs. Clinton into telling him what she will buy her husband for his birthday.

8月，為慶祝克林頓先生的68歲生日，斯佩西以安德伍德的形象拍了一段滑稽錄像貼在網(wǎng)上。安德伍德假裝自己是克林頓先生，假裝給克林頓夫人打電話?？肆诸D夫婦的女兒切爾西當(dāng)時懷著第一個孩子，安德伍德建議他們給這個孩子起名“弗蘭克”，還試圖要從克林頓夫人那里套話，看看她給丈夫究竟買了什么生日禮物。

“This is a very personal decision I will make when I’m ready,” Mrs. Clinton said, a play on the response she gives when asked whether she will run for president. She suggests another name for Chelsea’s baby: Kevin.

“這是非常私人的決定，等時機成熟我自然會選擇，”克林頓夫人說，這是在戲仿她被問到是否會競選總統(tǒng)時的回答。她還說要給切爾西的孩子取另外一個名字——凱文。

Mr. Spacey’s relatively public friendship with Mr. Clinton began around the time of his 1996 re-election campaign. Today, Democrats must be careful not to appear too cozy with liberal Hollywood, lest they seem out of touch with a struggling Main Street. But during the Clinton years, Tinseltown swooned over the first couple, who represented a Democratic break after 12 years of Republican leadership. David Geffen and Barbra Streisand were invited to spend nights in the Lincoln Bedroom, and Mr. Spacey became a fixture on the inauguration and fund-raising circuit.

斯佩西與克林頓先生相對公開的友情是在1996年克林頓第二次競選總統(tǒng)時傳開的。如今，民主黨人得更加小心謹(jǐn)慎，不能顯得和自由派的好萊塢更加親近，以免被視為和奮斗之中的主流大眾脫節(jié)。但在克林頓的時代，浮華的好萊塢竭力討好第一夫婦，他們象征著12年來民主黨對共和黨的首次勝利。大衛(wèi)·格芬 (David Geffen)和芭芭拉·史翠珊(Barbra Streisand)被邀請到白宮的林肯臥室消磨晚上，斯佩西也成了就職儀式和各種資金籌措活動的固定賓客。

After he left office, Mr. Clinton brought Mr. Spacey into his global philanthropic work through the Clinton Foundation. The two men helped struggling Lower Manhattan businesses in the aftermath of Sept. 11. They went on a five-day swing through Africa together to promote efforts to fight AIDS and joined Nelson Mandela onstage to address a crowd of teenagers about H.I.V. awareness. The British news media spotted them having dinner at a McDonald’s in London, sharing chicken nuggets as only old friends would.

總統(tǒng)任期結(jié)束后，克林頓先生帶著斯佩西加入了自己的克林頓基金會全球慈善工作。9·11事件之后，兩人幫助奮斗中的下曼哈頓企業(yè)恢復(fù)生機。他們一起去非洲做了一次五日之旅，宣傳抗擊艾滋，并登臺與納爾遜·曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)一起對青少年觀眾發(fā)表關(guān)于關(guān)注HIV的講演。英國媒體發(fā)現(xiàn)他倆在倫敦的麥當(dāng)勞一起吃飯，像老朋友一樣分吃麥樂雞塊。

Mr. Spacey and Mr. Clinton, both known as expert raconteurs, appear to enjoy candid conversations and debates about politics and books they’ve read.

斯佩西和克林頓先生都是擅長講述趣聞軼事的高手，他們似乎很喜歡熱心地交談，就政治和書籍展開討論。

Mr. Clinton seems to have less in common with Mr. Spacey’s on-screen persona. In many ways, the former president, with his preternatural sociability and desire to win over everyone (sometimes to a fault) is the opposite of Underwood, an antihero who has no interest in making friends and hardly ever deigns to meet the voting masses.

克林頓先生似乎和斯佩西在銀幕上塑造的形象并無多少共同之處。這位前總統(tǒng)有著不可思議的社交才能，樂于贏得所有人的心(有時候是錯誤的人)，在很多方面，他都像是安德伍德的反面——安德伍德完全是反英雄的形象，對于交朋友完全不感興趣，也不大愿意屈尊迎合選民。

Mr. Willimon has said Frank and Claire’s marriage, a complex portrayal of intellectual equals who enable each other in the name of ambition, could just as easily resemble Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s partnership. “You can compare it to lots of real-life unions, and you might find parallels, but it’s not based on any one marriage,” he said during a panel discussion in Washington last year.

威利蒙說過，弗蘭克和克萊爾的婚姻是兩個智力上旗鼓相當(dāng)?shù)娜说膹?fù)雜寫照，他們?yōu)榱艘靶亩ハ喑删蛯Ψ?，這和富蘭克林(Franklin)與埃莉諾· 羅斯福(Eleanor Roosevelt)的關(guān)系很像。“我們可以拿它來和許多現(xiàn)實生活中的聯(lián)姻相對照，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)共同之處，但它并不是建立在某一段特定的婚姻上。”去年他在華盛頓的一次研討會上這么說。