When viewers tune into the premiere of HBO’s new limited series The Sympathizer this weekend, they’ll be treated to a scene-stealing performance from Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. When they tune into the second episode, they’ll find him playing another nearly-unrecognizable character.
That cycle repeats as the series goes on, as Downey Jr. plays a host of various American characters from the perspective of the show’s protagonist, a North Vietnamese spy living in America who is referred to only as “The Captain.” The series, helmed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and the decision to cast Downey Jr. in multiple roles played a big part in how the series got made.
“This series came to us with a script, a series bible, and Park Chan-wook already attached,” executive producer Amanda Burrell told For The Win. “Park approached us right from the beginning with the specific vision for Robert playing these four characters, which was for us the most exciting part.”
Susan Downey, the show’s other executive producer (who also happens to be Robert’s wife), said Robert was immediately intrigued by the idea but wanted to make sure that it served the story and didn’t become a sideshow.
“Robert put the challenge back to Park and said, ‘As fun as this could be, I really don’t want this to be a gimmick,'” Susan said. “He loved the idea of playing these ‘Ugly American’ archetypes, but he didn’t just want it to be a fun acting challenge. He wanted there to be a real reason for him to be playing these multiple roles. As the series goes on, you start to see the key similarities between these different characters that Robert plays, and you see why it makes sense for a single actor to play them all.”
While we don’t want to spoil them all here, all of Downey’s characters in the series play an important role in the life of The Captain (played by Hwa Xuande), including a politician with a vocal pattern many viewers will find familiar.
“Robert is such a student of history, particularly during this time period, so he very quickly knew the various influences he was going to tap into to create these characters,” Susan said.
To create the politician character, Downey Jr. took influences from figures like Ronald Regan, Clint Eastwood, and Charlton Heston. For one of his other characters, an auteur filmmaker attempting to show the gritty realities of the Vietnam War, the inspiration may have come from within, according to Susan.
“There’s so much Robert in there,” Susan said. “It’s kind of an unchecked version of Robert the artist.”
“I think he’s so deliciously absurd and hilarious,” Burrell said. “He’s also strangely inspiring. If you’ve ever been around artists, you’ve seen some of this character. Robert really wanted to find some humanity at the core of all of these characters. He couldn’t absolutely hate all of them. The Auteur is a great filmmaker, from an American perspective. He’s just a really dark human being.”
The series, which also co-stars Sandra Oh, premieres this Sunday on HBO and streaming on Max beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
