The post-MCU life is looking good for Robert Downey Jr. The ‘Iron Man‘ star has teamed up with HBO and A24 for the television series ‘The Sympathizer.’ The series follows a captain acting as a Viet Cong mole who encounters Robert Downey Jr.’s character at different stages.
‘The Sympathizer‘ marks Downey Jr.’s first foray into television and his first acting role since the 2020 film ‘Doolittle.’ The series is not based on a real-life event but a novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
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‘The Sympathizer’ Is Based On Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Novel
The HBO series is based on Vietnamese-American professor and novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen‘s novel of the same name. His debut novel follows Captain, a North Vietnam plant in the South Vietnam army. He is forced to flee to the United States with his general near the end of the Vietnam War, settling with the South Vietnamese community.
While living with South Vietnamese people, he secretly spies on them and reports back to his Viet Cong superiors. Soon, he finds himself struggling between his original loyalties and his new life. An intriguing story about integrity and espionage, it has been compared to the likes of John le Carré and Franz Kafka.
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Which Role Is Robert Downey Jr. Playing In ‘The Sympathizer’?
Robert Downey Jr. gets to stretch his muscles with not one but many roles. The actor appears as an unnamed supporting character, possibly an agent of an arm of the United States Intelligence. Australian actor Hoa Xuande stars as the Captain, the man who encounters Downey’s master of disguises many times.
The series is co-created by famed South Korean filmmakers Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar. ‘The Sympathizer‘ also stars Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Duy Nguyễn, Vy Le as Lana, and Alan Trong. Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh, Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, Kayli Tran, VyVy Nguyen, and Robert Downey Jr. in recurring roles. The series will release on Max in 2024.
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