Kate Mara may have seemed like a conservative journalist at the beginning of the Netflix series House of Cards, but the actress is far from that in her latest photo spread.

In the latest issue of GQ, Mara poses in a variety of hot outfits, none of which include pants. The 30-year-old actress poses in orange lingerie, a fur sweater and sexy business wear.

Besides looking good, Mara also talked about her upcoming season as Zoe Barnes in House of Cards.

"I mean, the dials were really high in the first season," she said. "Beau Willimon [series developer and producer] has a very big imagination. And he and our writing staff, I think they really pulled through this season. Because it's hard to top all the things that happened last season."

Mara says she's "just as excited" as "anyone else" to watch season 2. In order to prepare for her role, she did not shadow journalists, but rather Willimon and executive producer David Fincher.

"But being a journalist wasn't the most important thing for me," she explained. "That was just her job-it could be anything. The most important aspect of Zoe that I felt I needed to understand and wrap my head around was her crazy drive and ambition. Sitting around with Beau and Fincher and Kevin [Spacey], just setting the backstories-that's where I got all of my information."

The Transcendence actress is part of a new generation of actors gaining stardom through Internet series. The Netflix show's filming schedule is less demanding on Mara.

"I mean, I'm sure Kevin has to [put everything aside], because he's in almost every scene," Mara said. "But for everyone else, it's very different. I don't shoot every day. I actually shot Transcendencewhile I was shooting House of Cards. So I wasn't even in Baltimore the whole time. I was in New Mexico."

House of Cards premieres Feb. 14 on Netflix. Transcendence, which features Mara as Bree and Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman, hit theaters April 18.