Robert Downey Jr. looks completely unrecognizable on the set of The Sympathizer. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor is best known for his portrayal of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since leaving the franchise after Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr. has not immediately found success that rivals his career-defining role. His first post-MCU role was the 2020 Dolittle reboot, which was a critical and commercial failure that lost Universal as much as $50–100 million. Downey Jr. had better luck since then with Sr., a heartfelt documentary about his late father that scored rave reviews. With a lot of exciting roles on the way, Downey Jr. is looking to keep that hot streak going.One of Downey Jr.'s new roles is The Sympathizer, which is currently filming in Los Angeles. Now, New York Post and other outlets have the first look at Robert Downey Jr. on set of the upcoming HBO miniseries.
In the set photo, the former MCU star looks completely unrecognizable, wearing a curly red hairpiece with a receding hairline. In addition, the actor appears to be wearing some facial makeup and possibly even some prosthetics to make him look much older.
Everything We Know About The Sympathizer
HBO's adaptation of The Sympathizer, which is based on Viet Tanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, is described as an espionage thriller and a cross-culture satire. The miniseries will follow a half-French, half-Vietnamese man who served as a spy for Communist forces during the final days of the Vietnam War and, afterward, is exiled to Los Angeles where he becomes embedded in a Vietnamese refugee community. Considering its subject matter, The Sympathizer cast is comprised mostly of Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American actors, including regulars such as Sandra Oh, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong.
A report revealed The Sympathizer is paying Robert Downey Jr. at least $2 million per episode, making him one of the highest-paid actors in television. The salary is well-earned since Downey Jr. is playing multiple antagonists, all whom represent a different arm of the American establishment, including a congressman, a CIA agent, and a Hollywood film director. Therefore, this new set photo showcases what will be one of many distinct looks the former MCU actor dons in The Sympathizer. Downey Jr. recently surprised everyone when he shaved his head on social media and made public appearances, but based on this set photo, it appears it was necessary to put on hairpieces for his multiple roles in The Sympathizer.
One of The Sympathizer's showrunners is Park Chan-wook, the acclaimed Korean filmmaker behind Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave. Park is also confirmed to be directing three out of the seven episodes in the limited series. Similar to Euphoria, The Sympathizer is a collaboration between A24 and HBO. However, the miniseries is still without a release date. If Robert Downey Jr. keeps surprising everyone with unrecognizable looks, anticipation for The Sympathizer should continue to mount in the coming months.
Source: New York Post/Twitter