For his first role since winning an Oscar, Robert Downey Jr. plays not one, not two, not three, but four different characters in The Sympathizer.
The HBO limited series, from brilliant Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden, and Oldboy filmmaker Park Chan-wook, is described as “an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.” Hoa Xuande is in the lead role, while Downey Jr. plays a CIA operative, a professor, a congressman, and a movie director.
“Even though each of the characters from all of the four have different occupations and they might have different characteristics, in essence it was very important they were faces that represent America,” Park explained about the casting decision, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “So in order to convey this idea very clearly and directly, I came to the conclusion that I’d have one actor portray all these different characters so that audiences can understand clearly.”
The Sympathizer, which is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and also stars Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, and Sandra Oh, debuts on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 14, at 9 p.m. EST.
You can watch the trailer below.