A major movie star was worlds away from his usual chiselled good looks on the set of new HBO TV series The Sympathizer this week.
The leading man, 57, has shown off his movie star looks in Marvel movies but for his latest role he’s practically unrecognizable, sporting a red wig with a receding hairline.
But can you guess who it is?
Unrecognizable: A major movie star was worlds away from his usual chiselled good looks on the set of new HBO TV series The Sympathizer this week
It’s Robert Downey Jr.
The actor was seen sporting a curly red wig with a receding hairline, which comes months after he shaved his head to accommodate the wigs.
He was seen wearing a white t-shirt under a pink button-down shirt and a maroon coat as he walked through the set.
The Iron Man star completed his look with blue slacks and brown dress shoes for the day on set.
It was reported in November that Downey Jr. will play ‘multiple supporting roles as the main antagonists in The Sympathizer, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment,’ with the actor confirming in a December interview he is, ‘literally playing five different roles.’
Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr, 57, has shown off his movie star looks in Marvel movies but for his latest role he’s practically unrecognizable
The project was first announced back in July 2021, when Downey Jr. signed on to star in and executive produce the project, which is adapted from the 2015 debut novel from Vietnamese-American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen.
The series will follow a character simply known as The Captain (Hoa Xuande), a half-French half-Vietnamese spy, who has found himself in exile in Los Angeles in the final days of the Vietnam War.
The Captain is described as, ‘a man of two minds and dual identities, the Captain is caught between conflicting loyalties, contradicting desires, and is ultimately forced to confront what it means to sympathize.’
New role: The project was first announced back in July 2021, when Downey Jr. signed on to star in and executive produce the project, which is adapted from the 2015 debut novel from Vietnamese-American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen
Downey will be portraying the main antagonists, who all represent, ‘the American establishment,’ which will include, ‘an up-and-coming Orange County congressman, a CIA agent and a Hollywood film director,’ according to the original July 2021 report.
The cast also includes Fred Nguyen Khan as Bon, the Captain’s childhood friend, Toan Le as The General, the larger-than-life former leader of the South Vietnamese Secret Police, Vy Le as Lana, the rebellious daughter of the General and Alan Trong as Sonny, the idealistic former classmate of the Captain and now the editor of a Los Angeles Vietnamese-language newspaper.
Sandra Oh also plays Ms. Sofia Mori, described as, ‘a liberated feminist who in the midst of a love triangle,’ Kieu Chinh as the Major’s mother and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen as Madame, ‘the General’s wife and elegant and commanding matriarch.’
Downey will executive produce with his wife Susan Downey, with Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) creating the series while serving as showrunner and director as well.
While Downey has had small screen roles in the past including Ally McBeal, this will be his first major TV starring role in his illustrious career.
He also stars in the upcoming All-Star Weekend, directed by Jamie Foxx, though that doesn’t have a release date yet.
