Robert Downey Jr. Goes Gritty and Gets Ginger Curls in First Look at Espionage Drama “The Sympathizer ”
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The seven-part Vietnam War-era espionage series premieres April 14 on Max
Courtesy of HBO
Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr. in 'The Sympathizer'Robert Downey Jr. plays a CIA agent in a new series — and his movie star looks have definitely gone under deep cover.
On Thursday, Max released a new teaser and several First Look images from the upcoming HBO espionage thriller The Sympathizer. Helmed by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook, the seven-part drama is an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name about a half-French, half-Vietnamese spy whose espionage work during the Vietnam War continues when he takes refuge in the U.S.
Related: Robert Downey Jr. Hilariously Recites His Past Scathing Reviews After Critics Choice Awards 2024 Win
Hoa Xuande leads the cast as the mole known as Captain who is torn between two worlds.
And the Iron Man star, 58, cranks up the difficulty in the series by playing multiple supporting roles — most notably as the gritty, underground CIA agent who becomes Captain’s boss once he flees Vietnam to Los Angeles.
Hopper Stone/HBO
Robert Downey Jr. and Hoa Xuande in 'The Sympathizer'Thursday's preview images give a glimpse of the seedy ‘70s vibe of the series, revealing a nearly unrecognizable Downey Jr. in a ginger, curly wig with a receding hairline.
The teaser that dropped also offers a preview of the action set to unfold in the show.
While the Captain appears on the exterior to be trying to acclimate himself into American culture, he reveals at one point, “I infiltrated the enemy. I did everything to undermine them because I am a Communist undercover.”
It appears as though his journey as a mole continues when he’s recruited by the Oppenheimer star’s CIA agent character, as he declares, “This is America. I mean that in the most dangerous sense. We’re CIA. Strap in.”
“This is counterintelligence. You work for me while pretending to work for them,” he adds, with Xuande’s character lurking at what looks like political events, shaking hands with various individuals and taking photos of documents.
Last year, another teaser dropped featuring a clip of the Captain being interrogated as he denied being a spy and donning a blonde wig while going undercover.
The Sympathizer — which also stars Sandra Oh — was shot in late 2022 and early 2023, which is when Downey Jr. was photographed on set making his shocking transformation.
In October 2022, the Golden Globe-winning father of three also shared a fun video on Instagram of his two younger children, daughter Avri, 9, and son Exton, 12, shaving his head as he prepared for the project, which he also executive produced.
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The Sympathizer premieres on April 12 on Max.
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