The new HBO series "The Sympathizer" brings a new perspective to a story that has been told many times from an American angle, giving actors like Sandra Oh the chance to finally be involved in a project that puts the Vietnamese refugee experience in focus.
"This perspective has been missing for 50 years," Oh, who plays Sophia, a feminist caught in a love triangle, told Variety.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Viet Than Nguyen, this miniseries boasts a mostly Vietnamese cast and production team, including acclaimed director and screenwriter Park Chan Vook and "The Joy Luck Club" actress Kieu Chin.
Many of the established talents involved in the series will be making their American production debuts, while others are getting their opportunities on the international stage. Actor Duy Nguyen grew up in Hanoi, Vietnam, and later immigrated to Canada. commitment to the series.
"He's deeply emotionally attached to this project. He moved to Canada 10 years ago. Then he read 'The Sympathizer' when it came out and he was 15 or 16. Since he was studying English at the time, he read it ten times. His journey from then to this momentous moment here, fulfilling his potential and the depth he brought to the roles - that's what it's all about," Oh explained of her commitment to the project.
She added that the authenticity brought by actors like Nguyen allows for portrayals that "metabolize very, very deep, painful stories on behalf of many people."
Nguyen said participating in a project involving "Vietnamese language and culture is a dream come true for him."
"The cast and creative team felt a responsibility to make this the best they could, because we finally have our moment to shine," added the actor.
"The Sympathizer" follows the character of the captain played by Hoa Cuande, a North Vietnamese operative who infiltrated the South Vietnamese army as a double agent. After being forced to flee to America and settle in a refugee camp, he continues to spy for the Viet Cong.
"It's really nice to finally see a story led by a Vietnamese cast - to be able to tell their stories in their own way and have them at the helm of this project. These stories that viewers will soon see are devastating, just as exciting, just as traumatic, but also just as wonderful and funny. " Cuande said, adding that, as serious as the subject matter is, the series is a unique blend of black comedy and spy thriller.
The story is particularly personal for Chin, who fled the Viet Cong twice in her life - first when she crossed from North to South Vietnam at the start of the war, and then later to America when North Vietnam was on the verge of attacking Saigon. Her journey is one of the many experiences of Vietnamese refugees in the 1960s and '70s, a real struggle that "The Sympathizer" illuminates.
"So many stories have not been told. We should revive history to remind people of the evils that war has wrought," Chin said.
The premiere of the series is scheduled for April 14.
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