‘The Sympathizer’: Sandra Oh Among Three Cast In HBO & A24’s Drama Series Adaptation
Killing Eve‘s Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh (Dynasty) and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen (Paris By Night) are set for key recurring roles in The Sympathizer, a drama series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, produced by and co-starring Robert Downey Jr.
The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.
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Described as a “blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping spy novel and a powerful story of love and friendship,” the novel is hailed as a new classic of war fiction and has been compared to the works of Kafka, Orwell, and le Carré.
Oh will play Ms. Sofia Mori, a liberated feminist who in the midst of a love triangle begins to awaken to the complexity of her own Asian American identity.
Chinh portrays the Major’s Mother. Homesick for Vietnam, she doesn’t find an easy fit with her new circumstances, in contrast to her son who has jumped in feet first.
Nguyen is Madame, the General’s wife and elegant and commanding matriarch who’s desperate to keep her daughter modest and her husband from unraveling as they restart their lives as refugees.
They join Downey Jr., who is set to play multiple supporting roles as the main antagonists, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment. Main cast also includes Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le and Alan Trong.
The series is currently in production, with filming in Los Angeles and Thailand.
Oldboy director Park Chan-wook is on board as co-showrunner, along with Don McKellar, and also will direct the series. Park and McKellar will also exec produce along with Downey, Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell for Team Downey. Niv Fichman will also exec produce through Rhombus Media as will Kim Ly. The series is a co-production between HBO, A24 and Rhombus Media in association with Cinetic Media and Moho Film. Jennifer Venditti is casting director.
Oh recently wrapped the fourth and final season of the Emmy-winning series Killing Eve. She was also recently seen starring in the Netflix dramedy series The Chair and voiced characters in Amazon’s Invincible and Netflix’s The Sandman. She is repped by UTA, Principal Entertainment LA and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
Chinh is a Vietnamese-American actress with six decades of international credits from Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, and Canada. She came to the U.S. under the sponsorship of actress Tippi Hedren, who helped her gain employment in Hollywood. Chinh is best known in the U.S. for her appearances in M*A*S*H and Dynasty. Chinh is repped by Allen Edelman Management.
Vietnamese-American actress Nguyen is best known for co-hosting Vietnam’s popular variety show Paris by Night. She is the youngest daughter of South Vietnam’s former Prime Minister and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky. Nguyen is repped by Prestigious Powerhouse Agency.
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