House of Cards launches its second season Friday, and one of the stars, Kate Mara, comes from pro football royalty. Her father's side of the family founded the Giants. Her mother's side founded the Steelers. GQ interviewed Mara, who plays a political reporter on the show, and the conversation covered as much about her "family business" as the new season of the Netflix original. Here are some highlights:

When do you give up on your teams?
I'm an eternal optimist.

What about when the Giants start 0-6?
Never. Besides, the Giants have a history of turning things around. Next year we could go to the Super Bowl. One of the greatest things about football is, unlike baseball, you really don’t know what’s going to happen at the start of the season.

Do you get home to New York much?
Yeah, my whole family’s still there. My dad's mom is still very much in charge of the family. My dad's one of eleven -- I have about 50 first cousins on the Mara side.

Sunday mornings with a one o'clock game ... How early does the whip-cracking start to get everyone ready?
My mom's always late and my dad's always early. I'm like my dad. Obviously Tom Coughlin wasn't our coach when I was kid, but now it's called Coughlin Time. If you're not there fifteen minutes early, you're late. My dad's ready an hour early sitting in the kitchen by the door, looking at the clock. I don’t blame him.

Do you try to get home in the fall?
During football season, I try to spend as much time in New York as possible. At first it was very strange not waking up on Sunday with my family. But then I was like, Oh, I can just get on a plane.

Check out more of Mara's interview and photo shoot on GQ.com.

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