The Sympathizer's Ky Duyen, Toan Le & Vy Le Discuss Their Characters' Inner Power In HBO Vietnam War Thriller

Summary Vietnamese actors in HBO's The Sympathizer present a truthful depiction of their culture on screen through natural dialogue delivery.

The show's non-linear production allowed stars Vy Le, Ky Duyen, and Toan Le to grow with their characters, exploring inner power in different ways.

Director Park Chan-wook's precision and vision made him the perfect choice to helm the HBO thriller to his stars, guiding them with exact direction.

Some wars continue long after they end, as seen in The Sympathizer. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, the HBO miniseries revolves around a North Vietnamese spy simply known as the Captain, who has been working undercover in the South Vietnamese army in the hopes of undermining their war efforts in the '70s. As the Vietnam War comes to an end, the Captain and some of his South Vietnam cohorts escape to America to start new lives, all while some of them struggle to adjust to their new country.

Joining the Captain in his escape to America are the General, his boss on the South Vietnam side, and his wife and daughter, Lana. Much like the Captain, The Sympathizer finds the General unwilling to rest on his laurels in the face of seeming defeat, looking for ways to reclaim power in his home country and bring his family back. While his wife willingly goes along with the plan, Lana looks to set off on her own path, which leads to a complex dynamic between her and the General.

Related The Sympathizer True Story: The Fall Of Saigon & Its Impact On The Show The HBO miniseries The Sympathizer is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's book of the same name and chronicles the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War.

Toan Le plays the General, Vy Le portrays his wife, and Ky Duyen takes on the role of Lana in the ensemble Sympathizer cast alongside Hoa Xuande as the Captain, Robert Downey Jr. in a four-character role, as well as Sandra Oh, Fred Nguyen Khan, Duy Nguyễn, Phanxinê, Kieu Chinh, VyVy Nguyen, and Alan Trong. Don McKellar and Park Chan-wook are at the helm of the HBO and A24 miniseries as creators, with the latter also directing the first three episodes of the show, and both executive producing with Nguyen and Susan Downey and Downey Jr. via their Team Downey banner.

Ahead of the show's premiere, Screen Rant participated in a roundtable interview with stars Vy Le, Toan Le, and Ky Duyen to discuss The Sympathizer, finding their characters' inner power, the meaningful Vietnamese representation in the show, and how much attention to detail was paid to the differences between the North and South.

The Sympathizer Is A "Truthful" Depiction Of Vietnamese Culture

With the show being told primarily through the perspective of Vietnamese characters speaking in their native tongue and played by those of such descent, the trio of actors "feel a lot of pride" in The Sympathizer's "truthful" representation of their culture on screen. Duyen, in particular, praised the production team's efforts to ensure that everything down to the difference in sentence delivery between North and South Vietnamese was retained in the actors' dialogue:

Vy Le: I do feel that, honestly, it's the first time in Hollywood we see Vietnamese actors speak Vietnamese, and we have Vietnamese consultants and translators on set who make sure that the dialogue is natural, it's truthful. And yeah, it's the first in Hollywood, and I think, as Vietnamese people, we feel a lot of pride in that. It's great to represent our community that way. Toan Le: Well, I had many, many dialogue lines in Vietnamese, which I had a consultant for, but I thought that the language was very well-written. It was translated from English, but it was very well-written, so it has this Vietnamese sense about it. A lot of time of time, there are nuances that the differences of language cannot match. So, I found it very interesting that when you translate the Vietnamese, there are different nuances that when I speak it, I really felt it, whereas English, it was a lot simpler. Vietnamese is just always more complicated. [Laughs] But because of that, it's the expression of the language. But I find everything is very well done. For the first time, the Vietnamese speak in the show in a way that is intelligent and we make sense, we talked about things. So, it's not just screaming and yelling. Ky Duyen: If I may jump in one last point, they are so careful on it they even notice the difference between Northern Vietnamese, Southern Vietnamese, and stuff. For example, I have a line when I just say, "[Vietnamese sentence]," and they actually called me back to read up that line, because they had a Vietnamese professor who said that if I'm from the North, I would say, "[Different Vietnamese sentence]." So, they wanted to stay as true and as accurate to the language. So, they did take great care in making sure that the language is right. I'm just talking about certain things definitely cannot be translated smoothly, but where it can be, they did the best. I feel finally we are seen, we are heard. And for HBO to put everything that they have behind the show. I was just saying, like the billboard, to have the first Vietnamese leading man in center front, that shows me that there's a respect for the story, for the actors. We're not just a fringe thing, but we're taking center stage, and I feel so grateful to be a part of it.

The Sympathizer Was An Important Journey Into Hollywood For Le & Duyen

Vy Le went on to celebrate how "empowering" the show's Vietnamese perspective is as it satirizes Hollywood's perception of the culture and the Vietnam War as a whole, particularly given it's her "first project ever." Duyen also noted how she rarely auditions for any roles in Hollywood productions because of their stereotypical portrayals of the Vietnamese, celebrating how "powerful" her character is in The Sympathizer:

Vy Le: This is my first project ever, and for it to be so close to home is so special. Watching old-time Hollywood movies on the war, it's very much through the eyes of Americans, through the American perspective. And for this to be coming from Vietnamese creators and Vietnamese actors, it's so empowering, and I feel it's so important that we have that voice and we're able to represent ourselves correctly. Ky Duyen: I think for me, too, in Hollywood, one of the reasons why I hardly ever try out for a role is because up until now, most roles for Vietnamese are in some war movie. So, either you're a bar girl or you're a very old lady, mother-type selling vendors on the street, or something like that. There are not a lot of roles, but here I am as Madame, who's very powerful, who actually runs her husband, who commands her husband, The General. So, I think it gives a Vietnamese woman a stronger role, and definitely I feel more seen, more heard in the Hollywood community. And as far as what you say about even their poking fun of the Hollywood producers, directors, I don't think all of them are like that. That is also a caricature of them. Not every director or producer is like that. But then, this is what the whole book is about, it's making fun of everybody. Toan Le: Yeah, it's making fun of everybody. But I think the aspect of satire, even though it's making light fun of heavy issues, but what it does, it just defangs it, defangs things that are hard to approach, hard to talk about, and bring it down to a level of just human, so you can cry and laugh at it, as you will. I also think that it's really a good thing for American culture or world culture at large to know what's happened, not just the Vietnam War, everybody knows that it happened, but not many people remember it or talk about it. And finally, it's out, so everybody can sort of understand what's happened to us as a people, the Vietnamese refugees. We're different than just your normal immigrants. We didn't have a choice. We are here because we were forced to, so there are many aspects of that that I think are very important, that we are having dialogues about it.

The Captain's Relationship With Each Character Is Very Different (But Important)

With the Captain's duplicitous nature being the driving force of the show's story, his relationship with the General, his wife and Lana all prove drastically different across The Sympathizer. For the former, Toan Le teases a "full-circle" journey to come for the two as more is revealed about their competing agendas, while Duyen feels the Madame sees through the Captain's lies and recognizes "this goodness" within him, which Vy Le also feels is key to Lana connecting with him:

Toan Le: Well, I think his journey comes full circle as a man with two minds, if you will. I think what's revealed at the end is that the Captain, even though he is from the North and he has a mission to accomplish, at the end, he's just a pawn in a weird chess game. And I think acknowledging that fact is an important one. Ky Duyen: I think that Madame always sees the Captain as her husband's assistant. And Madame is not involved in a lot of the day-to-day political things. But I think she trusts the Captain, especially when they come to America, because he's been here before, he speaks perfect English, he trusts his opinion, and she's more open and trusting to him. And towards the end, I think Madame would feel that her trust has not been misplaced, that there is this goodness inside of him. I think, throughout the story, she would see that goodness in him. Even the bad things he did, it was contradictory to his personality. Vy Le: And I think for Lana, it's quite special, because he watched her grow up, he saw her as a little kid who became a woman, who came of age. And I think the attraction that lies there, it's definitely something that should be unpacked, and hopefully we'll see more of that. But yeah, I think they both have a very special place in their hearts for each other. And that thrill, that element of the scandal, the scandalousness of it all is very thrilling. And I think both of their characters, the Captain and Lana, they're both always looking for that danger element in their life. They're very adventurous, so, yeah, more to come on that.

Director Park Was The Perfect Choice For The Sympathizer For 1 Key Reason

With Duyen and Vy Le being newbies to the Hollywood scene of productions, they found themselves thrilled to be working with Director Park on The Sympathizer. When asked why he was ultimately the perfect choice to helm the HBO thriller, the trio all landed on one key nature of his direction that was important for guiding their performance:

Ky Duyen: What was it like working for him, especially for me, a newbie to the Hollywood scene? He is great, because he knows exactly what he wants. He directs you exactly. You don't have to come up with anything on your own, you just do it. If he tells you to look at this angle, he's so exact that — I remember there was a scene that she [Vy] was in, he wants her to roll her eyes, and it has to be to the right and not to the left. So then, it makes it very easy for us, for me, myself at least, because if I do exactly what he said, it's done. Vy Le: Yeah, and I think he just has such a brilliant vision in his mind, as we see with Oldboy, as we with Decision to Leave. It's a vision that's, I think, like none other. I can't even, honestly, put the words to it, but I think he, as a writer, as a director, as a showrunner, is the prime choice for a show like this. Toan Le: Well, Director Park has this depth about him that, as a person, he understands things, he sees things that are not very visible, and in that sense he's very different than other Hollywood directors. Plus, he's come from a country that's divided as Vietnam was. So, in many, many ways he is perfect in these senses. Another thing is, he's a master, a visual director who sees rhythm in the visual movement of cameras. He only rehearsed looking through the camera, and he's very precise in his blocking. And because of that, in some ways, it's easier than other ways, because you have to adjust your blocking, you have to pay attention, and it makes you a better actor. You understand the relationship between blocking and acting and how to keep you acting whole while you're doing the blocking. And I like when the director's just suggesting so you don't have to come up with your usual stuff where it might be kind of boring. So, a director comes in and asks you to do something different, that is outside of your normal comfort zone or whatever you do normally, I think it's very exciting, very thrilling.

The Trio Found Their Characters' Inner Power In Very Different Ways

Though the trio may be on different paths in the story, Vy Le, Toan Le, and Duyen all found their characters' inner power a thrill to get to explore. Interestingly, the two Les discovered the core of the General and Lana coming from very different sides of the emotional spectrum:

Vy Le: I think Lana, she is very young, and as we grow up with her, as we progress in the show, she finds her footing in the US, and she finds her sexuality, and I think she finds power in that. She finds power in having a hold of that. And the way she expresses it, the way she just wants to be on that stage, it was her release to be up there in Fantasia. And yeah, that's where her power comes from. Toan Le: The General I find very compelling to me, because The General is in deep grief. He's losing all this stuff; his position, all of his power, his mansion, his way of life. So, he had to deal with a lot of loss. So, he's in this deep grief, and there's a sense of vulnerability that he embodies that is powerful, and I could really, really grasp that in a strong way. And it gives me power as an actor to live this man's journey and find salvation, or whatever, in the vulnerability of the man.

The Sympathizer's Non-Linear Production Allowed The Actors "To Grow" With Their Characters

Though the show's story kicks off in Vietnam, The Sympathizer's production actually began in southern California, filming its American-set story first before heading to Thailand to film the first and final episodes. While some of the cast found this to be a bit disorienting, Vy Le, Toan Le, and Duyen ultimately found the experience rewarding as it allowed them "to grow" with their characters and even get a full reversal from where they began with each:

Vy Le: I think I felt fortunate that I got to grow as Lana grows. I think we shot 2-6 in order. And yeah, we see Lana up on that stage in episode 3, and that was very earlier on in the filming process. And to see her blossom in episode 5 and 6, that's when I also have matured a little bit from when episode 2 and 3 were filmed. And yeah, I got to grow with the character, which I'm so, so grateful for. And at the end, when we reverted back to episode 1, it was like, "Okay, now I have to step back and evaluate where was Lana at this time, definitely in a different head-space than she was in episode 6." Ky Duyen: I think for Madame, it's just the opposite. She started out in the US, poor, and then, towards the end, she gets to be in her regal self, and so the power just goes up this way. So, it was a smoother transition for me. I went from a place of weak to strong, so, I didn't have to do the opposite way. It fits in perfectly. And towards the end, all my makeup artists were saying, "Oh, you get to be pretty now. You get to be pretty now." That was exciting. [Chuckles] So, it worked out fine for me. Toan Le: The General, just like Madame, when we shot episodes 2-6 first in LA, and then we go to Thailand and shoot episode 1. When The General has moved to the States, he's feeling the loss of everything. He's depressed, he's completely morose, and he's just prone to just break down and cry at any minute, although he's just trying to restrain. But when we start episode 1, he's just this relaxed guy who has all the power in the world, and he didn't really care much about suffering. It's like in episode 1, during the torture scene, all he cared about was if someone's going to pick up his dry cleaning because he has a dinner that night. So, he's just sitting there playing with his hat. [Laughs] Ky Duyen: Easier, right? Toan Le: Yeah, easier. Yeah, yeah. So, a complete difference.

About The Sympathizer

Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, 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 new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren't over.

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New episodes of The Sympathizer air Sundays on HBO and Max.