
The Sympathizer’ Cast Breaks Down the Mysterious Meaning of ‘Nothing’ in the Finale
By Selome Hailu
SPOILER ALERT: The following interview contains spoilers for “Endings Are Hard, Aren’t They?,” the series finale of “The Sympathizer” on HBO.
Robert Downey Jr. may have played five different characters in “The Sympathizer,” but he’s not the only actor in the cast who assumes multiple identities.
The limited series follows a North Vietnamese communist spy simply known as the Captain (Hoa Xuande) who’s embedded in a South Vietnamese community in Los Angeles after the war. Duy Nguyễn plays Man, the Captain’s handler, best friend and sole remaining connection to his home country. But for fear of surveillance, the two send decoy letters addressed to the Captain’s fictional aunt. Any real truths must be brief, focused and written in invisible ink. Therefore, wh...