The Sympathizer: HBO’s Spy Thriller and Cross-Culture Satire

The Sympathizer is a 2024 HBO black comedy miniseries created by South Korean director Park Chan-wook and Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar. The TV series is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Award-winning novel, The Sympathizer. This espionage thriller stars Fred Nguyen Khan, Hoa Xuande, Kieu Chinh, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Oh, and Toan Le in the lead roles.

The Sympathizer details

Directed by	Park Chan-wook, Fernando Meirelles, and Marc Munden
Genre	Espionage thriller and cross-culture satire
Executive producer(s)	Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar
Stars	Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Sandra Oh, and Robert Downey Jr.
Language	English
Release date	April 14, 2024 (United States)

The Sympathizer Cast

The star cast of The Sympathizer includes Hoa Xuande as the Captain, Kayli Tran, Kieu Chinh, Ky Duyen, Marine Delterme, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Oh, Scott Ly, Toan Le, Vy Le, andVyVy Nguyen as the Major’s wife.

Hoa Xuande actor — image credit: IF Magazine

Alan Trong as Sonny

Duy Nguyễn as Man

Fred Nguyen Khan as Bon

Hoa Xuande as the Captain

Kayli Tran as the Communist Spy

Kieu Chinh as the Major’s Mother

Ky Duyen as Madame, the General’s wife

Marine Delterme

Robert Downey Jr. in several antagonist roles

Sandra Oh as Ms. Sofia Mori

Scott Ly as Gunner Dao

Toan Le as the General

Vy Le as Lana

VyVy Nguyen as the Major’s wife

Plot (What is The Sympathizer based on?)

The plot of the spy thriller TV series is based on novelist Thanh Nguyen’s novel, The Sympathizer. The HBO miniseries is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire. The TV series talks about the struggles of a spy, a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist. He faces immense scuffles during the final days of the Vietnam War. The story also highlights his new-fangled life as a refugee in Los Angeles.