The seven-episode series The Sympathizer recently dropped on HBO GO. Created by Park Chan-wook, the South Korean filmmaker of Oldboy and The Handmaiden fame, and produced by Robert Downey Jr, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and war drama filled with Hollywood satire. The bilingual miniseries will be released weekly until the end of May.
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer follows the struggles of half-French, half-Vietnamese "Captain" (Hoa Xuande), a double agent during the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
The Captain sneaks into the South Vietnamese military while working for the Viet Cong and ends up in a US refugee camp. However, while enjoying his new life in Los Angeles, he soon learns that his spying days aren't over. The Sympathizer also stars Emmy-winner Sandra Oh, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Alan Trong and Downey Jr, who surprised movie fans by playing multiple roles in the show.
While most scenes are set in Vietnam, they were actually filmed in Bangkok. The bustling city provided a vibrant backdrop, with sets meticulously designed to evoke the wartime atmosphere of Vietnam.
Life was invited to visit the film set a few months back and had the chance to go behind the scenes when the show was still shooting the first episode, in which The Captain and his friends are in a restaurant before the fall of Saigon.
We also had the chance to sit down and talk with Park, who served as a co-showrunner and also directed episodes 1-3 of the show.
Director Park Chan-wook on set. (Photo: Hopper Stone/SMPSP)
The Sympathizer is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. What drew you to this project?
Unfortunately, I hadn't read the novel prior to working on this project. The original novel had been translated into Korean but I never had a chance to read it. It's only after the producer proposed this project to me that I read it.
What convinced you to take part in this historical project?
I got involved because of the relationship between Korea and Vietnam, and because we were also involved in the Vietnam War. We share a lot of things in history, one being that we were both imperialist. And then Korea was divided into North and South, and we had a civil war. And for a person who knew about this history, it didn't feel like someone else's story. I felt this was something I could relate to and handle well. Also, the original novel has a spy thriller element, which I gravitate towards. It's one of my favourite genres.
Do you have any personal memories related to the Vietnam War?
Of course. My father actually was a soldier in the war. Though he was not in battle as he was a professor at a military training academy, I still remember the photographs he took at the Korean military camp.
What made you decide to turn the original story into a miniseries instead of a feature film?
We didn't plan out in advance if we wanted to do a film or TV series. I don't think that's the mindset that we have. The important element was what kind of story we want to tell. I gravitated towards the original story of The Sympathizer and I liked the idea of telling it visually. After a lot of contemplation, we came to a conclusion that in order to save the story, and to elevate various characters the original novel has, a two-hour feature film would be too short.
Hoa Xuande as The Captain. (Photo: Hopper Stone/HBO)
In terms of film production and its process, what are some of the differences you found between working on a movie and a TV series?
So the one biggest difference between directing a TV show and a feature film is that we're not allowed an abundant number of shooting days in comparison to a movie. We have to continuously adjust and change the screenplay during pre-production, unlike a movie where we have to complete or finalise the screenplay first, and then we have months to prepare and complete the process. But for TV shows, we have to continuously change the script even when we are shooting. So I think what we need while directing a TV show is more adaptability.
The Sympathizer is a collaboration project between HBO and A24 Studio. How much of a fan were you of their content?
For the last couple of years, most of my favourite movies have been made by A24, so yes, I'm a big fan. And in terms of HBO, needless to say, they have been making great quality shows for a long time. After working with them, I understood why they have been able to make great shows and movies. It was a learning experience for me too because they provided a lot of support and assistance in terms of respecting the creator. They also provide notes as needed. For me, whenever I'm working, I'm not the type of person who prefers it when someone says you can do whatever you want. Rather than that, I want to hear opinions and feedback. And that's what they have been doing. It has been a very natural process.
Sandra Oh as Ms Sofia Mori in The Sympathizer. (Photo: Hopper Stone/HBO)
How about Robert Downey Jr, what was it like to work with him on this project?
The main issue we had was probably the language barrier, but regardless of whether we are from different places, as filmmakers, I believe we are all the same breed and we speak the same language. So in terms of communicating with Robert, who is the producer, of course there was translator that I had to speak through. However, it's not like we need to explain anything in a whole long conversation. I can just give him a speech with my eyes or facial expression and he would understand my intentions.
(Photo: Hopper Stone/HBO)
