Summary

• Robert Downey Jr. takes on multiple roles in The Sympathizer, creating a deep portrayal of characters representing America.
• The HBO show marks Downey Jr.'s return to TV after 20 years and his first time playing multiple characters in one title.
• The Sympathizer promises to be a risky and wild endeavor, exploring post-Vietnam War themes with positive early reviews.

Fresh off of his first Oscar victory, Robert Downey Jr. is bringing multiple roles to life in The Sympathizer. The HBO show serves as an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name revolving around a North Vietnamese spy whose undercover mission in the South Vietnam army extends beyond the end of the Vietnam War, resulting in a challenge of his loyalties and beliefs as he builds a life in America. Hoa Xuande leads the ensemble Sympathizer cast alongside Downey Jr., Toan Le, Duy Nguyen, Vy Le, Alan Trong and Sandra Oh.

In honor of the show's premiere, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Park Chan-wook to discuss The Sympathizer. When asked about Downey Jr.'s multiple roles in the Vietnam War thriller, the co-creator/director broke down the Oscar winner's importance to the overall themes of the show, feeling that it would be the best way to convey the theme that "they were the faces that represent America." See what Chan-wook explained below:

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. 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 Is RDJ's Wildest (& Riskiest) Project To Date

With The Sympathizer, Downey Jr. finds himself encountering multiple career landmarks. One of the most notable is that the show marks the first time in over 20 years in which the Oscar winner has been a main cast member for a TV show, with his previous being a key player in the penultimate season of Ally McBeal. Since then, his biggest TV role was on the YouTube show, The Age of A.I., though was the host of the science documentary rather than playing a narrative role.

The other unique element to Downey Jr.'s Sympathizer role is that it marks the first time he's played multiple characters within one title. In the HBO show, the actor plays a CIA agent named Claude, an auteur filmmaker named Niko, inspired by Francis Ford Coppola, an Orientalist grad school professor named Hammer, and California Congressman Ned Goodwin. Though such a casting is often used for more comedic purposes, like Eddie Murphy playing nearly the entire Klumps family in The Nutty Professor movies, it's clear from Chan-wook's comments that his multiple-character performance is intended for deeper thematic purposes.

With these various elements in mind, The Sympathizer looks to be one of Downey Jr.'s wildest and riskiest roles, particularly with its post-Vietnam War setting likely resulting in touching on the xenophobia present in many Americans at the time. That being said, Downey Jr. is no stranger to tackling risky roles throughout his career, with Tropic Thunder remaining both one of his most acclaimed and divisive for its satirical take on blackface in media. However, with The Sympathizer reviews already proving largely positive, the actor may just have another winner on his hands.

Source: THR