Viet Thanh Nguyen on adapting 'The Sympathizer' for TV
May 13, 2024
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Viet Thanh Nguyen, the author of 'The Sympathizer' novel, discusses the process of adapting his book into a popular HBO TV series. They cover themes of espionage, immigrant stories, identity, and the challenges of transforming literary language into screen dialogue. The podcast also explores the complexities of blending violence and humor, meta commentary on Hollywood's portrayal of the Vietnam War, and the significance of diverse casting in the production.
'The Sympathizer' critiques American culture's view of the Vietnam War through spy and immigrant narratives.
Nguyen actively shaped the TV series adaptation, reflecting on Hollywood's portrayal of the war and aiming to challenge conventional narratives.
Deep dives
The success of 'The Sympathizer'
Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel, 'The Sympathizer', was a breakthrough hit in 2015, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel, blending spy and immigrant narratives, critiques American culture's understanding of the Vietnam War. Its adaptation into an HBO mini-series by Park Chan-wook has expanded its audience and brought Nguyen into the limelight, paralleling his protagonist's journey as a public figure.
Challenges and involvement in TV series adaptation
Nguyen's executive producer role in 'The Sympathizer' TV series spanned nearly eight years, involving numerous conversations and collaborations to bring the project to fruition. He actively participated in breaking down the novel for the seven-episode format, ensuring narrative cohesion and diversity in the writer's room. Nguyen's cameo appearance in the series reflects his alignment with Park Chan-wook's vision and the blending of his storytelling with visual appeal.
Meta commentary and Hollywood critique
The series delves into meta commentary by intertwining the filmmaking process within its plot, engaging with Hollywood's portrayal of the Vietnam War. Nguyen reflects on the irony of critiquing Hollywood in his novel, only to have it adapted by Hollywood. He acknowledges the power of cinema in shaping global perceptions and aims to introduce radicalism through the series to challenge conventional narratives, alluding to the complexity of merging personal vision with evolving external expectations.
The Sympathizer, directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Robert Downey Jr and Sandra Oh, is one of the top-watched show on HBO right now. But before it was a television series, it was a novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Both the book and the series tell the story of the Captain, a communist mole in South Vietnam who comes to the US as a refugee as the Vietnam war is ending. On today’s episode, Lilah talks to Viet about the themes of The Sympathizer, and what it was like to help reimagine his book for a TV series.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The Sympathizer, starring Robert Downey Jr and Sandra Oh is available on HBO
–You can find Viet Thanh Nguyen’s book The Sympathizer and its sequel The Committed wherever books are sold
– Lilah’s interview with Nguyen about his recent memoir A Man of Two Faces was published as a Lunch with the FT: https://on.ft.com/3UtjDlm
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