(CNN) If you thought the presidency of Frank Underwood on Netflix's "House of Cards" seemed over-the-top, stars Neve Campbell and Michael Kelly say think again.

"The madness that's happening with this current administration ... people are going to watch 'House of Cards' and go, 'that's not so crazy,'" Kelly told CNN in a recent interview.

Michael Kelly in 'House of Cards'

"This is insane what's happening in the real world," said Kelly, who plays White House chief of staff Doug Stamper on the show. "This is crazy town right now. It's disturbing. We've always been a country, except for in television, that has someone who can represent the American people with knowledge and respect and proper decorum. This is the first time that we've not had that and that's incredibly troubling."

The upcoming fifth season of "House of Cards" was filmed during the run-up to the November presidential election. Campbell, who plays political consultant Leann Harvey, said even with the show's notoriously dramatic twists, it was hard to turn away from actual political news during the season's production.

"There's a real feeling of responsibility," Campbell said. "I think we are all feeling, 'Oh, I can't checkout now.' Checking out is not the appropriate reaction."

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