Dominic Sessa was catapulted to internet obsession status out of nowhere earlier this year, when he landed a leading role in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. His performance as troubled New England teen Angus Tully was highly praised, winning the 21-year-old a Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. But expectations are higher than ever for Sessa’s next rumoured role: a portrayal of beloved late chef, author and TV host Anthony Bourdain in a new biopic.
Tentatively titled Tony, the feature has a wealth of material to draw on. At age 43, Bourdain’s 1999 New Yorker article ‘Don’t Eat Before Reading This’ launched a successful writing career, reflecting on the chef’s experiences and misadventures in kitchens from New York to Massachusetts and beyond. His glib style and colourful tales formed the foundation of numerous memoirs and novels to follow, and also paved the way for a prolific run on TV.
Bourdain’s numerous TV series, including A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, Parts Unknown and more, saw the enigmatic chef-turned-storyteller explore culinary cultures around the world, winning numerous awards and even featuring then-President Obama on one episode in Vietnam. His career was, however, tragically cut short in 2018 while filming for Parts Unknown in France when Bourdain was found dead of suicide in his hotel room at age 61.
Fellow New England native Sessa certainly has big shoes to fill. While it can’t be said that fans have ‘no reservations’ about the upcoming film – one Reddit user commented: “We have [biographical documentary] Road Runner and three solid memoirs/bios, we do not need this” – the film is set to be directed by critically-acclaimed Blackberry director Matt Johnson.
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