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The new talent on the horizon, Hoa Xuande, is here to make his big break as the Captain in the upcoming A24 and HBO collaboration The Sympathizer. The 36-year-old Australian-Vietnamese actor who takes on the lead role in the highly anticipated series went through multiple rounds of auditions to land the coveted role alongside veteran actors Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Oh.
The show also includes Fred Nguyen Khan, Duy Nguyễn, Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong in its main cast. Created by Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar, The Sympathizer releases its first episode on April 14, 2024. The official synopsis reads,
"Near the end of the Vietnam War, a spy who was embedded in the South Vietnam army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community, where he continues to gather intelligence and report back to the Viet Cong."
Who is Hoa Xuande? Details about the actor explored
Xuande was born a first-generation Australian in Sydney, with the name Hoa Xuan Nguyen to Vietnamese parents. He grew up in Melbourne, where he studied at Trinity Grammar School and participated in sports such as swimming, track, and football.
Nguyen moved to Sydney at 18 and pursued journalism while working odd jobs in door-to-door sales and bars. At the same time, he worked in amateur theatre, which pushed him to study acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
He took up the stage name of Xuande, derived from his middle name Xuan, hoping to broaden his chances of landing opportunities beyond Vietnamese roles. In 2016, Xuande landed his first job as an actor after graduation as Elvin in the Australian comedy series- Ronny Chieng: International Student.
Hoa Xuande has subsequently worked in the Australian horror drama Hungry Ghosts (2020), American series Cowboy Bebop (2021), and Paramount+'s Last King of the Cross (2023). His filmography includes OtherLife (2017) and A Stitch in Time (2022).
Who does Hoa Xuande play in The Sympathizer?
The Australian-Vietnamese actor Hoa Xuande takes the lead role of The Captain in The Sympathizer. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer has Xuande take on the challenging role of the morally ambiguous character whose loyalties are tested as a spy at work during the Vietnam War.
The executive producer of the show, Susan Downey, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and said,
“This show was going to work or not based on this piece of casting. Finding The Captain was the most exhaustive and sweeping search I’ve ever been a part of. The requirements for the part included fluency in Vietnamese and English, the ability to play guitar, possession of a driver’s license, and being charming and intelligent but with a veiled dark side.”
She continued,
“By the time we were at his final screen test, he had refined his portrayal — making it clear that he possessed the complexity, nuance, discipline and overall acting prowess required to lead our show.”
Hoa Xuande reportedly underwent eight months of the audition process and flew to Los Angeles and Korea before he was finalized as the lead. Xuande also reportedly took two weeks of language training to strengthen his grasp of Vietnamese.
The Sympathizer premieres on April 14, 2024, with its first episode on Max.
