One of the best actors working today is flexing his acting muscles. HBO has released the latest trailer for The Sympathizer, which sees Robert Downey Jr. playing multiple characters (seen below). The rest of the series stars Sandra Oh, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen, and Alan Trong. It is not too dissimilar from Eddy Murphy and how he used to play multiple roles in the same movie or show, but we expect this to be a much more dramatic affair.
Part satire, part spy thriller, The Sympathizer follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy in Los Angeles toward the tail end of the Vietnam War. As he adjusts to his life in America, he soon finds out that his spy days are far from over. The Sympathizer sees Robert Downey Jr. transformed for his four different roles. The hair and makeup department goes to work to make him various ages, with different blemishes and hairstyles that make him recognizable, but still selling the fact that he is playing different people.
The Sympathizer Trailer Sees Robert Downey Jr. Playing Multiple Characters in New HBO Limited Series
The series is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. To adapt it, Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar serve as co-showrunners, writers, and executive producers. Chan-wook serves as a director for the series with Fernando Meirelles (episode 4) and Marc Munden (episodes 5-7). The Oppenheimer actor, Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell, Niv Fichman, Kim Ly, Ron Schmidt, Jisun Back, and the author of the novel also serve as executive producers.
The Sympathizer marks a return to TV for Robert Downey Jr. His last long role in a series was over 20 years ago during his stint on Ally McBeal. Since then, he had a redemption arc in Hollywood as he has since starred in Sherlock Holmes, Zodiac, Oppenheimer, and a roster of Marvel movies, including the Iron Man trilogy and all four Avengers movies.
The Sympathizer will be released on Max on April 14.
