1 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: Campsite media. 2 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 2: In front of me, there's a group of acting students. 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,639 Speaker 2: The youngest ones are in their twenties, the oldest is 4 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 2: over seventy, and they're intently. 5 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: Focused on their teacher. 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,959 Speaker 2: She's a woman with wiry, salt and pepper hair, and 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 2: she's leading them through an exercise. She calls out two 8 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 2: conflicting emotions. 9 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: Let's start with love and fear. 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 3: So let your movements. 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,840 Speaker 1: Expressed love and fear. 12 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: And suddenly these actors are circling the room silently pantomiming 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 2: feelings of love and fear. They're warming up to rehearse 14 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 2: the final act of Othello, a play about jealousy and deception. 15 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 2: I'm here in California on assignment for The Washington Post. 16 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: I'm reporting a piece. 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: About Shakespeare as therapy, how these stories about our deepest 18 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 2: humanity can help people heal from their trauma because Shakespeare's plays, 19 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 2: at a core level, they're about what human beings do 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 2: to each other, what we're capable of at our best 21 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 2: and our worst. 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: I start talking to one of the actors because I'm 23 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: gentle yet can't drop my stories. Trung is friendly and 24 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: soft spoken. 25 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 2: Literally, I have to lean in close in order to 26 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: hear him. He's mid twenties, clean shaven with impeccably palmated hair. 27 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: He tells me he's a substance abuse counselor, and that 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 2: tracks the way he looks at me. I can tell 29 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: he's really listening. And when I ask him, Trunk says, 30 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: there's a lot of reasons he wanted to join this 31 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: Shakespeare group. 32 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 3: Had a OA and I did a break dancing too. 33 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: He loves to perform, and he likes these plays, how 34 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 2: they're universal themes of sacrifice, loss, and love have helped 35 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: him access his emotions, to see himself more clearly. He says, 36 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 2: these plays have allowed him to confront the pain he's caused. 37 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: I ask him what he means by that, and to 38 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 2: my surprise, he doesn't hesitate. He launches into a story 39 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 2: that I cannot believe is real, A story that feels 40 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 2: like Shakespeare himself could have written it, A story that 41 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 2: starts with Trung's identical twin brother. 42 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: Shakespeare was fascinated by siblings. There's Ophelia and. 43 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 2: Laertes, Edmund and Edgar Sebastian, and in both his comedies 44 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 2: and his tragedies, he makes them compete. 45 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: For the attention and approval of their parents. 46 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 2: He tests the limits of their love for one another, 47 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:20,959 Speaker 2: and he pushes them apart, sometimes violently. Shakespeare himself was 48 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: the father of twins, Judith and Hamnet, and when Hamnet 49 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,119 Speaker 2: died at the age of eleven, Shakespeare began to process 50 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 2: this very particular grief in his plays. He writes Twelfth 51 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 2: Night about twins separated in a shipwreck. The action of 52 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: the play is built around mistaken identities, but it's really 53 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: about the unique bond these siblings share and what happens 54 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: when that tie is broken. Trung knows all about this, 55 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 2: and it's a tale he's now pouring out to me. 56 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: Six years earlier, Trung tells me his twin On got 57 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 2: into a fight at a birthday party. By the time 58 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 2: it was over, the twins had embarked on a journey 59 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: that would forever change both of them, not just who 60 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 2: they were as individuals, but who they were to each other. 61 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:16,799 Speaker 1: So where's your brother, Morn? 62 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: As Trung and I talk, his fellow Thespians are rehearsing 63 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 2: right there beside us, and I hear Othello, Morn, you 64 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: must speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well. 65 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 2: I can see how Trung and On are guilty of 66 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 2: having loved each other too well, if not always wisely. 67 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: Twins bonded through DNA and. 68 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 2: Also hardship brothers who were best friends, who trusted each 69 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 2: other completely, who would have followed each other anywhere, even 70 00:04:54,880 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: if it meant losing absolutely everything. From Wondery and camp 71 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 2: side Media, I'm Jen Miller and this is Blood will tell. 72 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 2: This is episode one, Shakespeare in San Jose. It's a 73 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 2: Saturday evening in January when eighteen year old Trung knocks 74 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 2: on the door of his brother's bedroom. They live in 75 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 2: the same home, but they haven't seen each other much lately. 76 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 2: Trunk's been swamped juggling a sales job at T Mobile, 77 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 2: a full course load at college, and finishing his Eagle 78 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: Scout certification. 79 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: And Trung is missing his best friend. But there's a 80 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 1: party tonight. 81 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 3: Pretty much for the first time like that. So these parties, 82 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 3: like it felt like a drag, but at the same time, 83 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 3: it's like, oh, let's go have fun. He sounds like 84 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 3: a good way to relax. 85 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: On looks up from his bed, which is littered with textbooks. 86 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 3: How do you want to go my at homework. 87 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: Trunk is surprised. 88 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,479 Speaker 2: He's the one typically concerned about how today's choice will 89 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 2: impact tomorrow's outcome. That's how he's two semesters ahead in college. 90 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 2: But more recently, On has felt the pressure to keep 91 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 2: up with Trunk. On begs, let me study. Trunk's not 92 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 2: having any of it. 93 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 3: You know what, we deserve this. Let's just go and 94 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 3: have fun. 95 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 2: Maybe this party will be a good way to blow 96 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 2: off steam for both of them. 97 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: So On relents, all right, let's do it. 98 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 3: It's hyped up. Pick our outfits. 99 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 2: The party is a twenty first birthday thrown by a 100 00:06:58,640 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 2: friend of Trunk's girlfriend. 101 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: There's a black and white theme. 102 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 2: The twins pull on their true religion genes and long 103 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 2: sleeve black shirts. When they were little kids, their parents 104 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 2: often dress them the same, so this it's like a 105 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 2: fun throwback, and tonight it makes it almost impossible to 106 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 2: tell them apart. They're both five nine around one hundred 107 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 2: and sixty pounds. They have a few physical differences, though 108 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 2: Trung's face is clean shaven and more narrow, and On 109 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 2: has a sparse mustache and the shadow of a mole 110 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 2: over his lip. These minor physical differences are going to 111 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 2: be crucial for what's to come for the both of them. 112 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 2: After a final fit check in the mirror, they're ready 113 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 2: to head out. Trung drives his brother and their girlfriends 114 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 2: we're calling them Monica and Carly to a well appointed 115 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 2: split level home in the foothills of San Jose, California. 116 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 2: It's a short trip and a world away from the 117 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 2: affordable housing complex where the twins grew up. They walk 118 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,239 Speaker 2: past a rock garden and flower beds. Following the thump 119 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 2: of music, Trung enters the party and takes a quick scan. 120 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: He's impressed. 121 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 3: Looks like pretty bougie and had a DJ and everything. 122 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 1: He goes to pour himself a drink. 123 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 3: They opened like a cooler and I saw shot glasses 124 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 3: made out of ice. 125 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 2: Trung makes his way through the house. The guests are 126 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 2: mostly Vietnamese like him. Some of them are college kids, 127 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 2: but he doesn't recognize them. They're at four year schools, 128 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 2: not community college like him and An. 129 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: Trung is relieved. In recent months. 130 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 2: He has been trying and largely failing to avoid situations 131 00:08:57,679 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 2: and people he knows are trouble. 132 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 3: When we would go out with specific individuals, Sho would 133 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 3: always pop off right. I would always feel the needs 134 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 3: jump in and participate. 135 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: But the vibes here are good. 136 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 2: The booze is flowing, pop brownies are being passed around, 137 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:16,679 Speaker 2: and the music is pumping. 138 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 3: It was turned down for what, Well, John like that 139 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 3: song just came out. 140 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 2: Trung and On make a bee line to the beer 141 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 2: pong table, where they proceed to completely bite it. 142 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 3: We played horribly because didn't we sat on that table? Yeah, 143 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 3: we had to sit on the table man, which told 144 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 3: like we didn't make any shots. It was embarrassing. 145 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: Trung is so happy to have his brother here. 146 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 2: It's been so long since they've simply hung out like 147 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 2: this as brothers. Around them, everyone is getting drunk or 148 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 2: high or both. Troun is fully in the moment. He's 149 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 2: making the rounds a beer in his hand. For a while, 150 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 2: he loses track of his girlfriend Monica, that is until 151 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 2: she heads toward him, clearly upset.