Hoa Xuande was chosen as the lead in the HBO series co-starring Robert Downey Jr.
In The Sympathizer, Vietnamese-Australian actor Hoa Xuande plays a nameless communist spy whose undercover assignment leads him to Los Angeles.
A 36-year-old Vietnamese-Australian actor who had one Hollywood credit to his name, he still was not sure he was the right choice to lead a series with such an impressive pedigree: an HBO adaptation of an acclaimed novel, produced by the Oscar-winning art-house studio A24, directed by the revered South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook and co-starring a screen legend in Downey.Seeing himself in the trailer had finally quieted his doubts, Xuande said, over lunch at a Venice restaurant.
“He made me feel really at home, as much as I could feel,” Xuande said of that first encounter. “And then he just put his hand on my shoulder. He was, like, ‘Buddy, you and me, we’re going to sc*** this up together.’”It put Xuande at ease – slightly. Before he got the role that could change his life, he had already let it go many times over.
After several years of hustling in mostly bit parts, he had a breakthrough with Bebop, his introduction to the machine of a major Hollywood production.Because of visa issues, he was unable to join the production until just a week before the intense six-month shoot began. It took place mostly in Los Angeles and Thailand.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In war saga The Sympathizer, Vietnamese voices are no longer stuck in the backgroundAn adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, HBO's The Sympathizer follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese spy for the Viet Cong known as The Captain.
Read more »
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Resigns Amid Political UncertaintyVietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Thuong has resigned from his position, deepening the political uncertainty in a country where top officials have been ensnared in corruption crackdowns.
Read more »
Vietnamese Property Tycoon Sentenced to Death for Embezzlement and BriberyTruong My Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, has been sentenced to death for her involvement in embezzlement, bribery, and violations of banking rules. She and her accomplices were accused of siphoning off over US$12.5 billion from Saigon Commercial Bank.
Read more »
Vietnamese concerned that canal project in Cambodia could be potential gateway for Chinese forcesThe canal will bring economic benefits, but critics warn its military value could impact regional security.
Read more »
Verstappen retires from Australian Grand PrixMELBOURNE: Formula One world champion Max Verstappen was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix on lap four on Sunday (Mar 24) with flames leaping out of the rear of his car from a brake problem.
Read more »
'Singaporeans take their lunch breaks very seriously': Australian lawyer shares observations on work culture hereFor the past 15 months, Nim, who hails from Australia, has been living her life like a Singaporean. The lawyer moved to our garden city for work and over time, she's noticed a few differences between our work culture and what she's used to back home. Nim documented these observations in a TikTok video uploaded on March 21. The first...
Read more »