Dominic Sessa discusses playing Anthony Bourdain in biopic: “Incredibly relatable to me”
Dominic Sessa has lifted the lid on his starring role in an Anthony Bourdain biopic.
In April, it was confirmed that Sessa, who made his name in The Holdovers, would star as the late chef in Tony, which focuses on an early chapter of Bourdain’s life before he was renowned.
Significantly, the film will not focus on Bourdain’s culinary career, which began two years after Tony is set. Instead, it will be set in 1976 when Bourdain suffers a life-altering experience in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which changes how he views the world.
Filming began on the project in the summer with Matt Johnson, who previously directed Blackberry, helming the movie. Now, Sessa has spoken about the experience, and what to expect from Tony.
“It’s a story about a young man who’s fucking up and figuring it out,” he said of the film in a recent interview with ID. Sessa added, “That was incredibly relatable to me, and the main reason I wanted to do it.”
Due to playing Bourdain before the chef entered public consciousness, Sessa claimed, “I wasn’t bound to any sort of portrayal of him.”
He continued, “I tried to forget about the weight of how many people consider this person to be so respected and iconic.”
Meanwhile, at the premiere for Now You See Me: No You Don’t in New York earlier this week, Sessa explained to People, “It’s a sort of origin story in a way.”
The American actor also clarified why they shot the movie in Cape Cod in Massachusetts, stating, “I’m playing Bourdain sort of, you know ‘75, ‘76, that era, when he was working there in the summers.”
Tony is an A24 production. No release date has been confirmed.
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