Kevin Spacey discovers where he went wrong

House Of Cards star Kevin Spacey has revisited his lost audition tapes for the Frost/Nixon movie, so he can understand why he didn't get the presidential role.

Director Ron Howard eventually cast Frank Langella, who originated the role of former disgraced president Richard Nixon onstage, as the US leader.

Now Spacey is keen to know what went wrong.

The actor, who portrays Nixon in new movie Elvis & Nixon, told WENN, "I screen tested for Frost/Nixon, a movie I did not get! This is my revenge film!"

At the time Ron Howard, who ultimately chose Frank Langella, asked a number of actors if we could go on tape and present a Nixon.

"I was in Las Vegas shooting a movie and, in the hotel room there with my makeup and hair people on that film, I put together a version and then I filmed four scenes, including the farewell to the White House staff.

"I thought I lost this DVD but I located it when I knew I was coming onto this film and I was able to watch what I did wrong in that."

Spacey said the reasons he didn't get the role quickly became clear as he watched his screen test "all these years later".

"It was very helpful," he adds.

"I also found a lot of photographs of Nixon just looking remarkably uncomfortable in chairs that I found useful."

Also the many hours of tapes of private conversations, because this was a private meeting with Elvis, even though the photograph became public. "I came away feeling he swore in private more than any other human being and he was decidedly grumpy. I tried to find his essence."

- WENN