House of Cards star Robin Wright 'had to fight for equal pay' with male lead Kevin Spacey

House of Cards star Robin Wright said she had to fight for equal pay with her male co-star Kevin Spacey.

Ms Wright, 51, stars as ruthless First Lady Claire Underwood opposite Mr Spacey, who plays scheming US President Francis Underwood in the hit Netflix drama.

She spoke of her shock after allegedly discovering she had been misled by over her pay in an interview with to Net-A-Porter's digital magazine The EDIT.

Ms Wright continued: "I may not have as many scenes or words as Francis, but Claire doesn't need to verbalise as much.

"Francis is an orator, a poet, a demonstrator. Claire is an (ego) that sits in the back and directs him, but they are partners on the same plane."

She said she has since fought her studio for equal pay in the interview, carried out with garbage singer Shirley Manson.

A spokesman for Netflix was not immediately available for comment.

Ms Wright said she was a feminist in the interview but added: "People need to look up the definition of that word again. Feminism is just equality."

She described feeling overwhelmed after becoming famous, saying she would "never in a million years" had guessed she would become a star.

"It was daunting," she said of the experience of becoming well-known. "I didn’t know what to do with it."

The actress, who has directed several episodes of House Of Cards, said her modelling days were a "nightmare".

"You go into a go-see, lift up your shirt, then (someone says), 'Her boobs aren't big enough,' and you're out," she said.

The star said she felt great to be 51 and the "pain" in her life was now history.

In a separate interview with Variety, Ms Wright said the House Of Cards writers could now have difficulty coming up with ideas for the next series of the show.

"Trump has stolen all of our ideas for season six," she joked.