We now have confirmation on who will play Anthony Bourdain in the highly anticipated A24 biopic, and the chef’s choice is 100 percent USDA-certified grade-A Angus Tully. Variety confirms that Dominic Sessa, who made his film debut as Tully in 2023’s The Holdovers, will star as a young Bourdain in Tony with Blackberry’s Matt Johnson directing. This biopic makes the smart move to hone in on a specific, underexplored moment in the late chef and media personality’s much-documented life, setting the film in 1976, “when a young Bourdain has a life-changing experience working and living in Provincetown, Mass.” Bourdain wouldn’t enroll in culinary school for another two years, so consider it a superhero origin story. One look at a young Bourdain and it’s clear that Sessa is perfect for the role. It’s also worth noting that between this and The Holdovers, the 22-year-old actor is carving out a niche for himself in films set in 1970s Massachusetts.
Sessa won’t be the first actor to portray the Parts Unknown and No Reservations host onscreen; Bradley Cooper played a version of him (named Jack Bourdain) in the short-lived sitcom adaptation of Kitchen Confidential in 2005. Tony begins filming next month and will co-star Antonio Banderas in an undisclosed role. We’ll give a hearty “Yes, chef!” to that.
