The Sympathizer Podcast

Host Philip Nguyen wraps up the podcast with a jam packed episode. We’re taking it back to the beginning with Executive Producer Niv Fichman and author Viet Thanh Nguyen to talk about the origin story of bringing the book to the small screen. Then we have the three musketeers, Hoa Xuande, Duy Nguyen and Fred Nguyen Khan aka the Captain, Man, and Bon! We get to hear the behind the scenes of their r...

Host Philip Nguyen chats with Sympathizer star Sandra Oh and EP Susan Downey about the roles of women and representation in the TV series. Then he welcomes legend Kieu Chinh and actor Toan Le about the many meta layers of this series- Kieu herself is mentioned in the novel! To wrap, author Viet Thanh Nguyen and story editor Felicia King talk about the Congressman and his Cuban wife! Stream The Sym...

Host Philip Nguyen sits down with legend Ky Duyen, host of Paris by Night and a star of The Sympathizer, and her on screen daughter Vy Le, alongside EP Niv Fichman to talk about music and art imitating life. Then director Marc Munden and co-showrunner Don McKellar get into putting action on the screen - and greenscreen alligators. Finally, author Viet Thanh Nguyen and episode screenwriter Maegan H...

Host Philip Nguyen is talking costumes and production design with costume designer Danny Glicker and co-showrunner Don McKellar. Where did he get those suits for the Congressman? How does he think about authenticity when it comes to period pieces? It's a rich conversation, with lots of BTS details, about creating characters and telling stories through costume design. Then we are joined by author V...

Host Philip Nguyen sits down with the embodiment of the four patriarchs - Robert Downey Jr. First they’re in conversation with Hoa Xuande to talk about all the ways they worked together and the Captain’s dynamics with Claude, The Professor, The Congressman and The Auteur. Then Robert Downey Jr. brings in renowned prosthetics designer Vincent Van Dyke to reveal the process how they made those diffe...

Host Philip Nguyen gets into it with the Captain himself, Sympathizer star Hoa Xuande. They talk about leaning into opportunities, navigating multiple cultures as children of Vietnamese refugees and what it was like for Hoa to be in nearly every scene of the show. Philip also sits down with Executive Producer Amanda Burrell to talk about casting the show - and scouring the globe for talent such as...

Host Philip Nguyen debriefs and decodes Episode 1 and then he talks to co-showrunners Don McKellar and Park Chan-wook. Don takes us through the process of adaptation and thinking about bringing this novel to the screen. Then the legendary Director Park explains some of the ways that he subverts tropes, skewers pop culture and respects an audience. Stream The Sympathizer now, only on Max. Learn mor...

Hosted by Philip Nguyen, a scholar of Vietnamese-American culture, The Sympathizer is the official companion podcast to the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Sympathizer”, an espionage thriller and cross-cultural satire based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Join host Philip Nguyen after each episode to delve deeper into characters, motives, and the show's reflection on the Vie...