The Sympathizer official trailer: How many characters does Robert Downey Jr play? Plot and characters explored

Acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook is teaming up with Canadian indie filmmaker Don Mckellar to bring up The Sympathizer, a series based on the novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen. The new trailer for the limited Max show offered a brand new look into the end of the Vietnam War.

While The Sympathizer does consist of a star-studded ensemble with the likes of actors like Sandra Oh, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Tan Le, Duy Nguyen, and more, it is actor Robert Downey Jr. who stole the show in the recent trailer. Playing about four different characters in the show, it looks like Downey Jr. surely has his work cut out for him here.

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Robert Downey Jr. plays four different characters in The Sympathizer

In Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr. said that he is a "dude playing a dude disguised as another dude," and that couldn't be truer for what he is about to do in The Sympathizer. The actor will apparently play four different characters in the upcoming Park Chan-Woo show, with every character having a distinct personality.

While the trailer didn't confirm what the names of the characters Downey Jr. will be playing are, it teased all of them with unique looks that are sure to leave fans of the actor surprised. In one of the roles, Downey Jr. can be seen spotting red curly hair and being a member of the CIA who sends the series' protagonist, The Captain, on a mission.

However, it looks like he will be taking an antagonistic turn here because of the trailer showing him turning on the Captain. The other roles that Downey Jr. will be playing also get a brief look.

The second role sees him playing a character behind a camera shooting something; the other sees him heavily under makeup and sporting a bald head; and the final role sees him play an elderly gentleman wearing a suit.

While it's not confirmed who these characters are, we will soon get to know when The Sympathizer premieres on Max. Director Park Chan-wook also spoke with Vanity Fair about how good Downey Jr. was in the series.

“I was astounded by how quickly he was able to come up with a very different performance—he’d do a different improv for each and every take.”

Chan-wook continued:

“Even when I had a good-enough take, I had to fall back and suppress myself from asking for more. It was unbelievable to see.”

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What is The Sympathizer about?

HBO's The Sympathizer follows the series protagonist, who is called The Captain, a spy from North Vietnam who is sent on a mission to be a plant inside the South Vietnamese army. However, at the end of the Vietnam War, he flees to the United States, where he secretly tries to be a spy while living with a South Vietnamese community. He juggles between his previous and new lives.

The series is slated to premiere on April 14 on Max.