Anthony Bourdain was a “huge fan” of ‘Ratatouille’
The actor Patton Oswalt has shared the fact that he became friends with the legendary TV chef, author and travel show presenter Anthony Bourdain by bonding over the Disney animated movie Ratatouille.
Oswalt starred in the 2007 Academy Award-winning movie, offering the voice to Remy, a young rat who dreams of becoming a chef. Remy eventually befriends Linguini, the bin boy of an up-market French restaurant.
Making an appearance on the Watch What Happens Live chat show with Andy Cohen, Oswalt opened up on his friendship with Bourdain and how it began via an unlikely animated bonding.
“I became friends with him because he was a huge fan of Ratatouille,” Oswalt said. “He was like, ‘They got kitchens and chefs right. It’s very, very accurate.'”
According to Oswalt, Bourdain had also advised the actor and his late wife, the true crime author Michelle McNamara, some advice on how they ought to spend their honeymoon in Paris.
“He sent back this amazing paragraph that, like, a Beat poet would write, going, ‘Don’t do, just walk in anywhere, you gotta wander around, and let it happen,'” Oswalt noted.
He added, “And we found out very quickly that works great if you’re Anthony Bourdain. But if you’re me, you need to call ahead and make reservations. You’re not getting in anywhere.”
Bourdain was known for his love of food and travelling and first became known in the public eye for his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, released in 2000. He soon turned his attention to presenting the culinary travel shows A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, The Layover and Parts Unknown.
Evidently, Bourdain had a minor passion for animated cinema, too, as per his love for Ratatouille, but it’s likely that this came from his deep obsession with the culinary world. Bourdain tragically died by suicide back in 2018 while he was filming an episode of Parts Unknown in France.
Patton Oswalt made his acting debut on Seinfeld before appearing in the likes of Parks and Recreation, Community, Two and a Half Men and The Sandman.
He has recently played Dr. Hubert Wartzki in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire alongside James Acaster, who plays Lars Pinfield, and Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Nadeem Razmaadi. The likes of Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and original Ghostbusters cast member Bill Murray are also featured in the cast of the sequel movie.
Check out Oswalt’s conversation about Bourdain below.
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