Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, and Duy Nguyen on Brotherhood and Secrets in The Sympathizer

Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, and Duy Nguyen took the time to meet with us to discuss their individual approaches to each of their roles in the series The Sympathizer. Hoa took time to research the time period, focusing specifically on firsthand experiences of the war in order to authentically portray the Vietnamese perspective. His insights helped him to better understand the Captain’s evolving beliefs, as well as the roles they played in his brother-like relationships with Bốn and Mẫn. Fred emphasized the physicality of his performance as Bốn, using his eyes and body language to convey emotions when his character’s dialogue was limited. He discussed incorporating his own habits into his character’s personality, which led to the unique challenge of speaking Vietnamese while chewing gum. Duy delved into the depth of his character and his difficulties with maintaining consistency in addition to the nuances of filming scenes based in imagination versus reality. For Duy, it was important to leave room for audience interpretation, so he utilized subtle performances to reveal the secretive aspects of his character's personality. Despite the challenges, all three actors expressed appreciation for Park Chan-Wook’s guidance and his ability to give directive notes while valuing the actors’ creative space to interpret their characters.

Watch the full conversation below.

Near the end of the Vietnam War, a plant who was embedded in the South Vietnam army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community where he continues to secretly spy and report back to the Viet Cong.