USC Annenberg Media | How ‘The Sympathizer’ and its Vietnamese actors broke new ground in Hollywood – despite an Emmys snub 

Actors Vy Le and Duy Nguyen discuss their experiences as Vietnamese actors and representation in Hollywood for elevASIAN at USC Annenberg Media

When “The Sympathizer” premiered in April on HBO, the miniseries challenged mainstream narratives of the Vietnam War, telling stories of the war through the Vietnamese perspective to an American audience. Based on the bestselling book by Viet Thanh Nguyen, the show boasted an unprecedented predominately Vietnamese cast along with Hollywood stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Oh.

The show received praise for its diversity and showcasing of the Vietnamese perspective of the war when previously, films about the war often were told through the American perspective. Blockbusters such as “Full Metal Jacket” or “Apocalypse Now,” two of the most popular depictions of the Vietnam War, follow white American soldier protagonists. Naturally, “The Sympathizer” and its focus on an Asian cast would be nominated for many Emmys for this achievement, right? Not quite.

HBO has campaigned for the show’s recognition from the Television Academy Emmy Awards, submitting it to 27 different categories. However, The Sympathizer only landed one nomination in ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie’ for Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, in which he portrayed four different characters. Each of Downey Jr.’s roles represent a distinct aspect of the American machine, from CIA to Hollywood. Downey Jr. is the show’s only white actor and manyhave considered this nomination to have snubbed the show’s predominantly Asian cast.

Duy Nguyen, who plays a supporting role on the show, praised Downey Jr. ‘s support of the cast and show, but admitted his disappointment to see that none of the Vietnamese actors who campaigned for an Emmy nomination received one.

“We don’t have a lot of power but at least we have a stepping stone. It’s a stepping stone […] to have more and more Vietnamese stories,” said Duy Nguyen “One day we’ll see a Vietnamese actor being represented on that stage.”

Historically, Asian actors accounted for less than 6% of speaking roles in mainstream Hollywood films. Casting director, Jennifer Venditti, told Variety that it was important for the show to cast people who came directly from the community. For most of the cast, it was their first time being featured in a project of its magnitude.

“It’s giving this opportunity for Vietnamese actors, not only in America, but all over the world to be able to represent themselves, to have a footing in Hollywood because it’s been so white dominant. That’s just the history of Hollywood,” said Vy Le, one of the miniseries’ actors.

Le, 21, was a junior in high school when a friend sent her a casting call looking for Vietnamese talent for the show. Originally from Nha Trang, Vietnam, says she was stunned as she read the description for a character called Lana — the General’s rebellious teenage daughter who wants to be an entertainer — because of how similar the role was to her own life. Lana is the General’s rebellious teenage daughter who wants to be an entertainer.

At the age of 14, Le traveled to Boston from Vietnam to study theater at an arts school, despite her parents’ objections. Le made her on-screen debut this year in the miniseries. Similarly, the character Lana flees Vietnam after the war where she then goes on to pursue a career in entertainment. Le made her on-screen debut this year in the miniseries.

“This is the first time that the Vietnamese American people can accurately represent themselves and tell that story that’s been kind of swept under the rug this whole time,” Le said.

Duy Nguyen is also originally from Vietnam. Unlike Le, however, Nguyen says he got into acting by complete accident. Nguyen traveled from Hanoi, Vietnam to Canada when he was 17 to study business, but came too early to start his program and was placed in a theater arts program instead.

“I had no idea what the hell it was, didn’t never done acting in my entire life,” said Nguyen. “Did not know what theater was. But I got into it. And then after two years, I fell in love with it, you know, and then never stopped since.”

Nguyen portrays the character Man, a North Vietnamese spy and best friend to the protagonist. He has been acting professionally for six years but says he has faced struggles as an immigrant actor.

“I’ve been told by many people, by my old agent, by my teacher, that I would never make it in this industry because of my accent […] and because nobody’s going to know how to pronounce my name,” said Nguyen. “But I didn’t care. I just want to care about what is true to me. And if I make it, I’ll make it. If not, that’s fine.”

For Nguyen and Ly, acting in the show were eye-opening experiences.

“Reading ‘The Sympathizer’ was actually my first time actually learning of what happened,” Nguyen said. “Then working on ‘The Sympathizer’, doing research for my character, that’s when I actually learned about the real history. How nuanced it was,.”

For Nguyen, taking the role also meant taking on some personal risks too. ‘The Sympathizer’ criticizes the Vietnamese government, the South Vietnamese government and American government throughout the show. Nguyen says he feared retaliation against his family for his participation in the show because Vietnam has a history of restrictinggovernment criticism.

“There was a lot of thinking when I got the gig. I had to talk to my whole family about the thing that I’m doing because it might affect them. They live there [in Vietnam], they have their business, their house, their health, their whole life is there,” said Nguyen. After the show premiered, Nguyen said he put all of his money aside in case his family faced any retaliation to move his family to Canada.

Le says the show also gave her a chance to learn more about the South Vietnamese perspective as those perspectives are not discussed in Vietnam.

“The people in the South who fled to America to Australia to Canada, those stories are very much swept under the rug, it’s not talked about anywhere, not in history books. They’re considered traitors,” said Ly.

Ly says she hopes the show sparks more open conversation and dialogue within the Vietnamese community. “There’s always multiple sides to a story […] You can’t end the discussion at villainizing the other side because that’s just plain ignorant,” Ly said. “Despite the generational trauma, it’s important to at least hear that conversation.”