Everything is not as it seems, and that rings especially true when it comes to the costumes of The Sympathizer. In this engaging interview, Spencer Williams sits down with renowned costume designer Danny Glicker to discuss the intricate and compelling process behind creating The Sympathizer costumes. Glicker shares his thoughtful approach to developing the diverse and complex characters, delving into the detailed research and creative decisions that brought each role to life. From the nefarious CIA agent Claude to the glamorous transformation of Lana, Glicker’s insights provide a fascinating glimpse into the artistry and dedication involved in crafting the visual essence of this acclaimed series.
Spencer Williams: I am so excited to finally be talking with my friend, costume designer Danny Glicker. Hey, Danny.
Danny Glicker: Hi, Spencer. I’m very happy to be here.
Spencer Williams: Let’s get into it. So The Sympathizer is based on a novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Before we dive into your research, I was curious about your familiarity with the book. How did it, or did it not, become part of your process?
Danny Glicker: The book was the very foundation of my process. The novel is exquisite. It won a Pulitzer, and I read it obsessively, three times back-to-back, to understand it. It’s a complicated topic, and the handling of the material is nuanced. I first experienced the story fresh, then highlighted and removed any quotes describing the physical world, character descriptions, political events, or physical events. I created a master document from the novel. Ironically, it’s not that dissimilar from the Captain’s process of using his book. Each quote had a page number and line number, whether a description of a uniform or something someone was wearing.
There’s a beautiful passage about a cross Lana wears when she becomes a nightclub performer, which the Captain fixates on. I constantly referred to these passages. Although the book is entirely literary, it became an essential visual touchstone for me, helping match up all of my research and character arcs.
Spencer Williams: Wow. That’s fascinating. It’s almost like you are the Captain, trying to transcribe this book for code and figuring out how to work that into the story. I also want to discuss working with the show creator and part-time director, Park Chan-wook. What did that collaboration look like? Especially since I read that you also had to work with a translator.
Danny Glicker: It’s funny. When I joined this production, I came with a sense of adventure, which I look for in all my jobs. I thought working with a director with whom I did not share a conversational language would be challenging, but it indeed wasn’t. It was a dream. Director Park Chan-wook is one of the greatest directors of all time and one of the most renowned visualists alive. I expected our conversations to be driven by visuals, so I brought him beautiful images and detailed documents. He worked with extraordinary translators who were also filmmakers, accurately expressing my creative intent, including nuance and subtext. Our conversations were so rewarding and creatively nuanced.
Park Chan-wook is an extraordinary communicator of ideas and decision-makers. It was such an effortless and rewarding collaboration. When you accept a job with someone as renowned as Park Chan-wook, you understand you’re there to serve his vision, and I’m a piece of a larger puzzle he’s composing. He encouraged me to bring my most personal and passionately felt ideas, and we built those together. I loved working with him.
Spencer Williams: That’s amazing. You all share the same language, which is storytelling, color, and filmmaking. It is a universal language in some ways, or it should be.
Danny Glicker: Spencer, that’s exactly right. I realized very early on that we were completely speaking the same language. This is the language of The Sympathizer.
Spencer Williams: Well, all the collaboration paid off because it resulted in a visually compelling series. Every episode brought something new, and I was enthralled the entire time. The Sympathizer is set in the mid-1970s, beginning after the fall of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. I’ve been dying to ask you about your research process. I know you to be a proficient researcher, which is necessary, especially when conveying the final days of the Vietnam War.
Danny Glicker: You’re right; there was enormous research. We had tons of it. For this job, I wanted to ensure that my large department shared the same vision. Once I honed my research and shared it with Director Park, I papered every flat surface of the costume department’s walls, from floor to ceiling.
Spencer Williams: He’s not exaggerating. I’ve seen the pictures; it’s floor-to-ceiling.
Danny Glicker: Floor to ceiling, with worlds of research. That way, the research was available to everyone and organized into chapters for each world. Starting with the fall of Saigon, which is heavily documented, it was essential to review all the material fresh. One of the more challenging aspects was researching the southern Vietnamese military and police uniforms. Many were confiscated and destroyed after the fall of Saigon.
In the 70s, there was a shift in uniforms for functional reasons. For example, a famous white shirt some police wore was changed to gray according to a declassified CIA report recommendation to make them less of a target. We did extensive research and recreated the uniforms. I wanted the street life in Saigon to look vibrant and cosmopolitan, unlike the war movies we’re used to seeing. It should not resemble Apocalypse Now; it should look like the exciting city it was. Even in snippets of street or cafe life, I wanted to show how fashionable and diverse Saigon was. I wanted the fall of Saigon to feel painful, like a loss, because the characters are leaving a world they were happy in.
Spencer Williams: And you set this tone throughout the series. These characters talk about their desire to return, a big part of their journey. By creating that appeal, it made sense.
Danny Glicker: It was a beautiful city. In the pictures of street life, people loved fashion, just like everyone else. I wanted to communicate that. Seeing someone walking down the street, you could tell they liked dressing up. Saigon was a complicated, boisterous city with an actual heartbeat.
Spencer Williams: In the first two episodes, the Captain and many characters escape from Vietnam to Southern California, a place you and I know well. They develop a refugee community. How did you and your team convey that transition? Was there much change in what they wore, or was it gradual?
Danny Glicker: It was a massive change because many lost everything when coming to the United States. My driving force visually was to show that the characters arriving from Saigon were high up and had exquisite tastes. Even though they started with clothes given by church groups or refugee assistance groups, they wore them with consistency to their style.
As the series progresses, Madame quickly becomes discontent with a second-class life in the U.S. She motivates the General to move forward. We see Madame transition from fashionable in Saigon to wearing more understated clothes upon arrival, quickly pulling herself together and becoming super fashionable with fabulous pantsuits, matching purses, and shoes. She was a very accurate representation. A big part of Southern California’s visual sneaky genius was bathing it in cool tones. The idea was these characters expected a glamorous, warm Gold Coast but were met with a chilly, hostile reception. They were not received in the U.S. with utter warmth and open arms.
Spencer Williams: I want to talk about the Captain, who, as we know, was a plant embedded in South Vietnam and continued to spy well into his days as a refugee in the U.S. The story revolves around the Captain and the places and people he meets. How would you describe the Captain’s costumes, and how do they work for his storyline?
Danny Glicker: The Captain’s costumes are heavily inspired by academic silhouettes, particularly from the “Take Ivy” style. These clean-cut silhouettes serve a dual purpose. On one hand, they reflect his formal education in the United States, giving him a traditional collegiate, preppy vibe. On the other hand, they make him as invisible as possible. His clothes maintain a baseline of safe respectability, allowing him to blend in and access various places without arousing suspicion.
If he’s walking into someone’s office to photograph documents, he’s doing so under the guise of an academic. The Captain has a romantic air about him, inspiring a swoon-worthy feeling in others. His wardrobe includes 60s styles with splashes of the 70s, reflecting hand-me-downs from his college professor sponsor. We stylized his color story to fit Director Park’s vision with a much more saturated and stronger aesthetic. The blue he often wears represents American neutrality, contrasting with the colors of Vietnam.
Spencer Williams: It’s funny—he’s very unsuspecting. You wouldn’t think he was up to anything devious. The blue makes sense. He could probably walk into my house, and I wouldn’t suspect a thing. Also, Hoa Xuande’s performance is incredible.
Danny Glicker: We were all obsessed with him. He is unbelievable.
Spencer Williams: Speaking of unbelievable performances, let’s talk about Robert Downey Jr. He plays several significant roles in the series. Before we get into the different characters, what was it like working with RDJ, given his versatility?
Danny Glicker: Working with RDJ was terrific. He’s such an inventive performer. It’s a dream for a costume designer to create for one actor playing multiple characters. It allowed for a pure expression of clothing and costume. Our collaboration was fun and productive. I gave him a ton of research, and he shared his visual ideas. We developed a unique working style, scheduling fittings for up to two characters a day. Each character’s fitting was in a separate room, with distinct decor and research, creating different environments for each character.
For example, we’d start the morning with Claude, our CIA agent, in one fitting room. After a mental break, we’d move to another room for the Professor. Each room had its vibe, snacks, and decor, ensuring a clear mental separation. This intuitive way of working helped maintain the integrity of each character.
Real people and events heavily influenced each character’s reality, but they were slightly heightened and gonzo to match the Captain’s perception. We aimed to balance playfulness and outrageousness without distracting viewers from the show’s experience.
Spencer Williams: Yeah, I mean, it was so fun to see each of these different characters, even though, as you said, they’re all quite devious, and you can tell they’re up to no good all the time. But I want to dive into some of these characters because each of them was so interesting. Starting with Claude, who, as you mentioned, is the central anchor among these characters, being the CIA agent who worked closely with the Captain. How did you approach this specific character?
Danny Glicker: Claude is fascinating. Despite being such a nefarious character, I still feel empathy and compassion for him because of the time spent building his character. Claude is an incredibly high-level CIA agent with deep knowledge of espionage and torture, making him horrifically dangerous. However, he has a real insouciant sense of humor and entitlement. I wanted to explore this Western-themed entitlement where Claude is so devious that he doesn’t even try to hide it anymore.
He wears tropical prints and pastels, embodying his entitlement. For instance, he walks into a horrific interrogation wearing a peach Gabbana shirt or Hawaiian prints. Claude understands that his privilege and appearance allow him to be invisible, even when he’s garish. The Captain even tells him he sticks out like a sore thumb, but Claude knows that no one is looking at the Caucasian guy in the loud suit—they’re all looking for something else. It’s a dark commentary on the corrosive quality of entitlement that allows him to remain invisible despite his actions.
Spencer Williams: Right. There’s nothing more nefarious than this guy walking down the street in a tropical shirt with his cute little dog in a neighborhood. He sticks out in the most terrifying way.
Danny Glicker: Exactly.
Spencer Williams: My favorite of the RDJ characters was Nikos, the director, who has a significant role in episode four. Once I saw this character filming, I knew what we were looking at. He seemed to blatantly disregard the source material and the people around him, which felt very American. How would you describe him?
Danny Glicker: For Nikos, I did tons of research on mid-70s outdoor film sets, looking at everything from Apocalypse Now to the set of Jaws and Taxi Driver. I was inspired by these “bearded auteurs”—brilliant directors who were distinctive in appearance. Despite Nikos being an awful person, it’s well-established that he’s a good filmmaker. I wanted to honor that.
We took pieces from various directors but avoided a one-for-one representation. Initially, I didn’t want to use a safari jacket, but the more research I did, the more I realized it was essential for its practicality. So, I built a safari jacket in army green, playing with the paradox of someone making a war movie as an anti-war statement while fetishizing war. Nikos refers to himself as a warrior early on.
He’s well put together when we first meet him, but as the movie progresses, he devolves. His outfits become progressively absurd, like wearing denim short shorts, a bathrobe, and an army hat. Many of these pieces are based on actual items directors would gather on set. We also created a world of toxic masculinity around him, important to the Captain’s journey, as the Captain tries to persuade them with intellectual ideas. At the same time, they respond with visceral, testosterone-filled reactions.
A fun detail was making “Hamlet” swag, mimicking how real film sets often have custom t-shirts and memorabilia. These little details helped build the immersive world of the film within the film.
Spencer Williams: That’s so funny—making a movie within this series. There are two other RDJ characters who play integral parts in the Captain’s life and are just hilarious. The Professor and Congressman Ned are two completely different yet fascinating characters. Congressman Ned feels like someone I still see on TV a little too much. What do you have to say about him?
Danny Glicker: The Congressman was fun to develop. He was an invention for the show, though his aesthetic ideas were deeply rooted in the real political machine of mid-70s California. We tweaked his look to give him a sense of Southern California optimism, pushing his colors to a bright, evangelical palette. I used multiple references from Johnny Carson, who was quite fashionable in the 70s, to give the Congressman a sunny look that contrasted with his somewhat dark and cynical operations.
One interesting detail about the Congressman is that he was the tallest of all the characters, and RDJ and I discussed making him tower over others. He’s the guy who walks into a room and looks around to ensure he can beat everyone up. We wanted him to have that imposing presence, even in his bright, sunny suits.
The Professor was probably the most stomach-churning of all the characters. He embodied cultural appropriation, using ill-thought-out and likely ill-gotten souvenirs from Asian cultures, which he was obsessed with, to cosplay his passion. A fascinating arc for him was the divide between his world of Oriental studies and the new guard of Asian American studies. He starts getting phased out, revealing his final proper form as a full-on Anglophile, donning a plaid tweed suit, and expressing himself as an Oxford-educated individual. It’s quite an evolution from someone who lives for cultural appropriation to embracing his British identity when the jig is up.
Spencer Williams: Yeah, I dare say he’s still confused. Seeing all these characters come together was such a treat. As you said, they’re all devious, but there’s a bit of love for each of them, too. Every time one appeared, I was eager to see what they were doing. Moving on, I want to talk about Lana, who has quite the glow-up in this series. Being a general’s daughter, she sneaks away on a track to stardom, and I loved seeing her performance scenes. This must have been a fun character for you to work with, adding a bit of glam into the mix.
Danny Glicker: I love Lana, and I think she is the most optimistic expression of someone forging a path towards the American dream. When we first meet Lana, she’s very invisible. The idea is that we barely notice her at first. Natalie Wood in Gypsy inspired me secretly; like in Gypsy, Lana starts invisible and becomes the most beautiful and glamorous character in the story. It’s like realizing, “Oh my God, we’ve been with this woman the whole time.” This transformation also mirrors how the Captain sees her—initially as his boss’s daughter, treated like a kid, but evolving into a woman.
For Lana’s look, I researched Vietnamese teen models of the era and American models, focusing on how mid-70s wholesome women explored their sexuality without excess. There was a lot of Sally Field inspiration—women realizing they could wear shorter shorts or halter tops like Lana does, but always in control of how they present themselves. By the story’s end, Lana is a woman we’re not worried about, which was crucial for me. I wanted her to enter the world confidently, leaving us assured she’d be okay.
Designing her performance clothes was a delight. We played with research from Donna Summer and, of course, Bob Mackie, exploring what versions of his iconic cuts Lana could afford for her cabaret show in the basement of a Hollywood hotel.
Spencer Williams: That was one of my favorite parts, too. It was almost like she was invisible at first, and suddenly, you realize, has she been like this the entire time? It paid off beautifully. Danny, this has been a great series, and I’ve loved talking with you. Looking back on this series, what has it meant to you and all the success that has come along with it?
Danny Glicker: It’s meant everything to me. Working with Director Park was a dream—he’s one of the great directors, and I learned so much from him. His sense of visual totality, the way he conceives the entire world and sequence, and all the visual elements together were incredibly advanced. Working on this show with such a large and diverse crew felt like part of a real family. It gave me insights into an experience I didn’t have before and a sense of empathy for the complexity of the situation portrayed in the series.
Every element of the show was so supportive of creating a complete vision. My whole crew felt supported by the production, the showrunners, and the author. It was an amazing experience that enriched our souls as well.
Spencer Williams: Danny, this has been such a joy. I love the series and am excited to see what’s next. I know some good things are coming up, and I can’t wait to talk to you again.
Danny Glicker: Thank you, Spencer. I hope you have a wonderful day. It’s been a pleasure.
