In a recent interview, actor Lars Mikkelsen, who plays Petrov in House of Cards, spoke out the nature of his character's relationship to Claire (Robin Wright) in season 3.

Early Reviews Suggest House of Cards Outstays Its Welcome With Season 3

Speaking to Vulture, Mikkelsen revealed that his relationship with Claire was primarily motivated by his intention to get Frank's goat. When asked if he was "genuinely attracted" to Claire and the flirtation was one of sincerity or simply to get under Frank's skin, the actor cleared up the confusion.

"I think, who wouldn't be attracted to Claire?" he said. "But apart from that, he's using her to play Frank. So he's just as ruthless as Frank is, in that sense. I think that he uses any woman for his purpose. So I don't think it's genuine in that way."

While Mikkelsen obviously shares some pretty intense scenes with Wright, he is essentially playing a tough match for Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey). The actor spoke about his experience working with Spacey for the show.

"He's just so good. You just follow his lead," Mikkelsen said. "He's one of the top actors in the world, I'd say. I haven't experienced anything like that before. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were also really good to work with [on Sherlock]. So these last few years, I've been blessed with working with some real talent."

The third season of the show premiered on Netflix on February 28.

Watch the trailer for season 3 below.

Tags: house of cards netflix television