How ‘The Sympathizer’s’ Depiction of the Vietnam War Helped Its Cast Make Sense of Their Heritage
variety.comSelome Hailu About a month ago, “The Sympathizer” star Fred Nguyen Khan lost his grandmother. She was a Vietnamese refugee who sought asylum in Canada, enduring a “staggered escape” that left her and her siblings terrified they wouldn’t survive or see each other again.
But were it not for the show, in which Khan now plays a refugee himself, he may never have heard that story. Set at the end of the Vietnam War, “The Sympathizer” follows a captain in the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese army (Hoa Xuande) who’s secretly spying for the North Vietnamese communists.
As Saigon falls and the U.S. retreats, the Captain (as he’s called throughout) remains embedded and escapes to the Los Angeles while continuing to report back to his side about the dealings of the General (Toan Le) and his men — including one of his best friends, Bon (Khan), who knows nothing of the Captain’s true politics.
Narrating his espionage experiences in the form of a written confession after he’s been caught and imprisoned, the Captain is plagued by his own conflicting beliefs: his loyalty to his original cause, and his understanding of the beliefs of people he’s spent years betraying.
Read more on variety.com