The Sympathizer Podcast

Coming Soon: The Sympathizer Podcast

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 Vietnam War and its portrayal in U.S. pop culture. Stream The Sympathizer on Max starting April 14, and follow the Official Sympathizer Podcast. New episodes drop immediately after new episodes of The Sympathizer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ep. 1: “Death Wish” with Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar

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 more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ep. 2: “Good Little Asian” with Amanda Burrell, Hoa Xuande and Viet Thanh Nguyen

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 Hoa. And, of course, we are joined by author of the novel The Sympathizer, friend of the pod Viet Thanh Nguyen about how the episode matches up and diverges from the novel. Stream The Sympathizer now, only on Max.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ep. 3: “Love It or Leave It” with Robert Downey Jr., Hoa Xuande, Vincent Van Dyke, Viet Thanh Nguyen and Don McKellar

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 different characters come to life. And we are again joined by author Viet Thanh Nguyen and co-showrunner Don McKellar to talk process. Stream The Sympathizer now, only on Max.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ep. 4: “Give Us Some Good Lines” with Danny Glicker, Don McKellar, and Viet Thanh Nguyen

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 Viet Thanh Nguyen to talk about the depiction of the Vietnam War in literature, art and Hollywood. Stream The Sympathizer now, only on Max.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices