Dominic Sessa: ‘Playing Anthony Bourdain has changed my life’

‘I was definitely sceptical,’ Dominic Sessa says.

At only 23-years-old the actor has taken on the behemoth role of one of America’s most adored and misunderstood men – Anthony Bourdain.

But unlike Bourdain’s cultlike following, Sessa doesn’t worship at his altar, he tells Metro ahead of the release of A24’s Tony.

‘Before I even started the movie, I wasn’t a big fan of his really. He didn’t hold a big place in my life.’

Sessa says he found out about the celebrated chef, restaurateur, and author rather organically; through his mother watching him on TV when he was growing up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. YouTube videos have also helped him to research the role, he says.

‘After he passed away, he really had a resurgence in my generation. I think a lot of people, my age in particular, started to become really interested in him. And a big reason why I was fascinated to learn about him and do this project was because people around me were affected by him.’

Set during a formative summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1975, Tony explores the experiences, relationships, and ambitions that helped shape the man Bourdain would eventually become.

And that man was notoriously complicated; but an empathetic storyteller. Someone whose younger years we know very little about; unlike Sessa, who, despite really wanting to become a hockey player, has achieved almost overnight success.

When we chat, it’s easy to forget that just five years ago he was a student at Deerfield Academy, an independent-preparatory college in western Massachusetts. He speaks with such wisdom that only his hyperactive chuckle gives away his age.

Sessa was plucked from a casting call for students in 2021 by director Alexander Payne, who was looking for local talent for an upcoming film. That film was Oscar nominated comedy The Holdovers, in which he starred opposite Paul Giamatti. Not too shabby for your first acting role.

Despite being so young at the height of Bourdain’s success, Sessa has thrown everything he’s got into Tony. But he was adamant that he wouldn’t impersonate him like-for-like; no hoop earring, no tattoos, he’s not even a seasoned traveller.

‘[Director] Matt Johnson and I had a lot of creative agency and freedom with this story. Why I felt I was able to do it was because I wasn’t having to do a corny impression of this person, you know?

‘We had several photos of him at that age in Provincetown, there’s a lot of pictures of him on the beach. That was a good reference for me, in that setting. He was also really thin; you could tell in these photos.

‘I lost a lot of weight throughout shooting because I had also been living that lifestyle too; you’re in the sun all day, you become frail. I was trying to mimic a mini microcosm of that trajectory in this movie.’

Sessa was lucky enough to lean on a star-studded cast, including Leo Woodall and award-winning actor Antonio Banderas, who acted as his mentor both on and off screen in his role as head chef and restaurant owner.

‘He was never forceful with me like “you should do this, or try this”. He has such a youthful energy about him. He never comes from a place of feeling like, “I’m a master at this, I know what I’m doing.” He’s constantly in a place of discovery.

‘The way he came into this project was so relieving to me because I’d never met him before until we started filming. He’s a very famous actor, so I was like, “Is he going to be nice? Is he gonna talk to me?’” And when he came in, he just had such an openness to asking me questions, asking Matt questions constantly, that was really huge for me.

‘It was a big lesson I learned, wanting to be successful for a while and have a long career the way he has, that’s what the best actors do and what I’ve seen consistently with the really top notch pros that I’ve experienced.’

The online discourse surrounded Tony since the announcement of the biopic, mostly from diehard fans predicting Bourdain would ‘hate’ the idea of a film about him. He infamously hated corporate gloss and celebrity chef culture.

Sessa says he was put at ease when Bourdain’s close friend and colleague, Eric Ripert, signed up to be part of the film, appearing in the touching final scene alongside him. The acclaimed French chef was the last person to see Bourdain alive before he took his life Alsace, France, in June 2018.

‘You’re so nervous going into something like this and you have no idea what it’s going to end up like, what it’s going to be, and then Eric shows up and you have this this moment where you can relax. A boost of confidence, which is something you need when you’re doing these kinds of projects. It can feel so confusing along the way,’ Sessa tells us.

‘It was special. And it meant a lot to us.’

In addition to Eric’s cameo, the late Parts Unknown presenter’s estate released a statement giving Tony their blessing, saying: ‘It is not a standard biopic and doesn’t attempt to summarise a life’. It’s something which Sessa says ‘meant everything’ to him.

‘When I first read the script, it was not something I was interested in doing. I was coming out of place of “Yeah, he probably would hate something like this.” And I don’t know if he would like this movie or not. It’s impossible to say or know.

‘But to explore it…it really has changed my life.’

Tony is out in cinemas today.