
The Sympathizer’: Phanxine on the Major’s Big Moment and His ‘Politically Sensitive’ Decision to Join the Show
By Selome Hailu
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for Episode 3 of “The Sympathizer” on HBO.
Phanxine isn’t an actor.
Or so he says, though one might beg to differ after seeing his performance in “Love It or Leave It,” the third episode of HBO’s “The Sympathizer.” Though he’s no stranger to filmmaking, having directed and produced popular features such as the Vietnamese box office hit “Sweet 20,” Phanxine is a first-time performer. In fact, his involvement in “The Sympathizer” only came together after an audition he attended as a prank — more on that later.
Episode 2 saw the General (Toan Le) begin to suspect the presence of a North Vietnamese spy among the South Vietnamese community he began building in Los Angeles after the war, but he’s stil...