The Sympathizer
David Duchovny Wants to Redefine Failure
Like many agents seeing client schedules cleared by the 2023 strikes, David Duchovny’s suggested he start a podcast. Unlike many actors faced with that proposition, Duchovny had a hook: failure — or, rather, a reassessment of it. “This is the podcast that’s like, ‘OK, David failed at being a movie star,'” says the 63-year-old, referring […]
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Robert Downey Jr. Says His ‘Sympathizer’ Hair and Makeup Was a “Very Surreal Experience”
The star of HBO’s limited series has viewers seeing quintuple with his multiple characters and says, “Working with director Park Chan-wook was hands-on in a way you don’t get with CGI.”
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Sandra Oh on How ‘The Sympathizer’ Became Something Deeper for Her
Sandra Oh has come to realize that with great power comes great responsibility. Since wrapping up her run as Dr. Cristina Yang on the venerable ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy a decade ago, Oh has looked to champion stories that deconstruct and explore the nuances of Asian American identity. Her latest TV project, The Sympathizer, […]
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‘The Sympathizer’ DP on His Favorite Shot From the War Drama: “It’s Not a Simple, Static Shot”
In HBO/Max’s war drama The Sympathizer, adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer-winning novel and co-created by renowned director Park Chan-wook, a communist spy from North Vietnam (The Captain, played by Hoa Xuande) accompanies a Southern Vietnamese general (Toan Le) as he prepares to flee for America or risk capture. In this scene from episode one, […]
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John Cho Doesn’t Think of His ‘Sympathizer’ Cameo as Meta, But Understands If You Do
[This story contains spoilers for episode four of The Sympathizer, “Give Us Some Good Lines.”] You hear about James Yoon before you meet him. The fourth episode of The Sympathizer, HBO and A24’s limited series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer-winning novel, is an interlude from the usual business of spycraft as The Captain (Hoa […]
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How ‘The Sympathizer’ Cast Represents a Portrait of the Modern Vietnamese Diaspora
Projects about the Vietnam War and its aftermath are so plentiful as to be practically their own genre, and they’ve starred a who’s who of Hollywood icons, including John Wayne, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Christian Bale. Notably missing from the casts — at least among the substantive […]
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Events of the Week: ‘The Sympathizer,’ ‘Fallout’ and More
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for The Sympathizer, Fallout and Quiet on Set. Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver screening On April 5, Netflix hosted a fan screening in New York to celebrate the upcoming release of Rebel Moon – […]
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Robert Downey Jr. Says Kids “Seemed Anxious” to Shave Their Dad’s Head for ‘The Sympathizer’ Role
Robert Downey Jr. had some help from his children to prepare for his role in The Sympathizer. The actor opened up to Extra at Tuesday’s Los Angeles premiere of the new HBO series about how his kids helped him shave his head for the role. “They seemed anxious to shave my dome,” Downey admitted. “There’s […]
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Why Robert Downey Jr. Plays Four Characters in ‘The Sympathizer’
Fresh off of his Oppenheimer Oscar win, Robert Downey Jr. is playing not just one new character but four in upcoming HBO series The Sympathizer. The series is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which is set at the end of the Vietnam war and follows an […]
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How ‘The Sympathizer’ Star Hoa Xuande Transformed Himself to Play a Vietnamese Double Agent
Even toward the end of The Sympathizer’s six-month shoot, Hoa Xuande would still sometimes look out over the set in disbelief and think, “Am I really sitting here? Are they really letting me do this?” “This” would be toplining HBO and A24’s limited series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a communist […]
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‘The Sympathizer’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Dazzles and Distracts in HBO’s Adaptation of the Pulitzer-Winning Novel
Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar turn Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel about a Vietnamese double agent into a limited series also starring Hoa Xuande and Sandra Oh.
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Robert Downey Jr., Hoa Xuande Play Men With Many Faces in New Trailer for ‘The Sympathizer’
“Welcome to the world of spycraft!” HBO released the newest trailer for its upcoming series The Sympathizer, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Robert Downey Jr. stars in and executive produces the seven-episode show alongside his wife and producing partner Susan Downey. “Biracial. Bilingual. I was a synthesis of […]
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