Actor Kevin Spacey says his Netflix show "House of Cards" isn't that far from the reality of politics in Washington. 
 
 "Look, for me, it's like performance art," he said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "We can get done shooting on a day, and I'll come home and turn on the news and think: 'You know, our storylines are not that crazy, they're really not.'" 
 
 With some exceptions, "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos cut in, such as politicians murdering people who get in their way. 
 
 "I've heard from lots of people," Spacey said. "Some people feel that 99 percent of the show is accurate, and that the 1 percent that isn't is that you could never get an education bill passed that quickly." 
 
 Knocking Congress for its gridlock, Spacey added he wouldn't be surprised if President Barack Obama wished he could get better results, like Spacey's ruthless character, Frank Underwood. 
 
 "It must be really interesting for not just the American public but people around the world to view a very effective Congress that gets things done. So I can imagine that [Obama] must feel: 'Gosh, I wish we could move that quickly,'" he said. 
 
 Spacey said he shadowed House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to prepare for the role and was struck by how difficult it is to get the party to vote one way or another. 
 
 "He actually said recently that, 'If I could kill just one member of Congress, I'd never have to worry about another vote,'" Spacey said. 
 
 "House of Cards" had its second-season premiere on Friday. 
 
 Read more about: George Stephanopoulos, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Spacey, House Of Cards ||||| Transcript for 'This Week': Kevin Spacey 
 
 And here he is live, Kevin spacey. Playing frank Underwood. Thanks for coming in. Thanks for having me. Washington more exciting than Hollywood? For me, it's like performance art. You know, I sometimes watch it, what we can get done shooting on a day. I'll come home and turn on the news and think our storylines are not that crazy. They're not. I'm not going to give away the second season. President Obama has a little bit of frank Underwood envy. The ruthlessless efficient frank Underwood. I can imagine why he would. I thought it must be really interesting for not just an American public, but people around the world to view a very effective congress that gets things done. So I can imagine he must feel, gosh, I wish we could move that quickly. How do you put the two together? Clearly the show is striking a chord in the country at the time when the country hates Washington more than ever. Well, I've heard from lots of people, you know, that some people feel that 99% of the show is accurate. And that the 1% that isn't is that you could never get an education bill passed like that. Forget about every other crime you see over the course of the show. And, you know, you've got all these members of congress, I want to show a group of them from nowthisnews.com who have frank Underwood envy as well. The bill is going to come up this Wednesday. I never make such big decisions so long after sunset and so far from dawn. It's still going to come up. I have no patience for useless things. He was about to tell me. Mccarthy -- He's the house republican whip. He's the house republican whip. He was very generous to me. I sort of shadowed him in the capital a little bit to understand and learn what it's actually like to be the majority whip. But he said recently, if I could kill one member of congress, I would never have to worry about another vote. I think that's pretty true. The example that would set. What did you pick up from following him around? Look, it's particularly interesting for him, because there are so many new members of congress who were brought in the tea party, fight against Washington and not do it the usual way. It's difficult to harangue 218 congressmen to vote a particular way you want them to vote. I don't envy the position. It's not easy. It was fascinating to go to a couple of whip meetings and see what the agenda is, what they're going to put out there, how they do it. For me, it was very helpful to feel what it was like to actually whip. And the show gets the details of the setting and the conversation right. But I wonder what you make of, you know, some critics of the show look at it and say, as you point out, a lot of people think this is the way it must be. But one doctor says blanket cynicism, talking about the show, gives the illusion of understanding, not really understanding what's going on. Well, I think that, you know, we've also heard a lot of comparisons to we're the antithesis of "West wing." Travis -- it was a very, you know, -- A different kind of fantasy. A different kind of fantasy. Even if you look now at the way some real politicians are re-examined. Lyndon Johnson is a character that my character in "House of cards" admires during his lifetime and presidency, he took an nourpgs enormous amount of criticism, personal for the policies in Vietnam war. But he passed three civil rights bills and he was ruthless and an S.O.B. And many things during his life, but people are re-examining people who are willing to do what they have to do. And if he had the coverage going through the ruthless tactics today, he might not be able to get what we got done. Or everyone Abraham Lincoln, you look rat -- at the film Lincoln. It was an effective position, giving positions to get votes for something he thought was more important. And today that would be a scandal. Kevin spacey, thank you very much. "House of cards" is terrific. You can see every episode on netflix right now. We'll be right back. Cc1 Test message 
 
 This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
– Kevin Spacey has surveyed his acclaimed politics drama, House of Cards, and finds it no more wacky than Washington, DC. "Look, for me, it's like performance art," he tells ABC today. "We can get done shooting on a day, and I'll come home and turn on the news and think: 'You know, our storylines are not that crazy, they're really not.'" There are a few differences, he notes: "Some people feel that 99% of the show is accurate, and that the 1% that isn't is that you could never get an education bill passed that quickly. It must be really interesting for not just the American public but people around the world to view a very effective Congress that gets things done." The newest season of House of Cards premiered Friday, notes Politico.