While House of Cards fans excitedly binge-watch the political drama’s third season, star Molly Parker is preparing to take the stage. The Canadian actress – who joined the critically acclaimed series as congresswoman Jackie Sharp last season – has landed the title role in the two-act play, Harper Regan (opening March 1 at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto).

“I’ve wanted to do a play for a long time,” Molly tells Hello! Canada. “When I read Harper Regan I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Here, the actress reveals what drew her to her first play in 18 years and which TV shows you should be watching – once you’re done with Frank Underwood’s latest exploits, of course!

CENTRE STAGE
I have often made choices based on what scares me. Being onstage is frightening in its own way, but it’s also thrilling, exciting and challenging in a way that I haven’t felt in a long time. On the surface, Harper Regan is a play about an unremarkable woman who does these extraordinary things in her life. Beyond that, I still don’t understand things about her and that’s what makes it interesting.

FAMILY FIRST
Part of what I do often is figuring out what part of me is useful in telling the story and what part of me isn’t. That’s a process of discovery. Before having a child, I would go to work and really disappear into it. Now, like Harper, I’m a mother, I have a boy who’s eight. He’s really wonderful. He’s getting to that age where I won’t be cool for much longer!

GETTING BACK TO HER ROOTS
I really do love living in California, but I am Canadian in my soul. I grew up in Fraser Valley, B.C. We lived on a farm with goats, chickens, cats and dogs. It certainly wasn’t a commune, which has been written, but we lived about an hour outside of Vancouver. Then we moved into town and my parents had a fish store, where I worked everyday after school. I am a fishmonger’s daughter.

TUNED IN
I actually watch a lot of television. I think Rectify is really great. I liked Peaky Blinders a lot. There’s a British show on Netflix called Happy Valley that I watch and it’s really fantastic.

TWEET, TWEET
I really don’t use any social media except Twitter, and I think I do that really poorly. I have conflicting feelings about it. I keep thinking, “Oh, you should tweet something about the play!”