Star chef Anthony Bourdain’s emotional origins story revealed in A24’s ‘Tony’ trailer
Dominic Sessa made headlines with 'The Holdovers,' and is now set to generate the buzz again as Anthony Bourdain in the chef's biopic, 'Tony.' A24 released the trailer earlier on Tuesday, focusing on Bourdain's formative years. Set in 1976, it follows his life-changing experience working in Provincetown. The chef-turned-CNN TV host joined a culinary school two years after the events of the film. He became a household name after the debut of his memoir, 'Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.' Bourdain died by suicide in 2018, aged 61, and won six Emmy Awards for his contributions to unscripted series such as 'No Reservations' and 'Parts.' 'Tony' releases in August later this year.
Sessa is one of the rising stars who also starred in 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' and 'Oh. What. Fun.' Also starring alongside Bourdain is Antonio Banderas, who plays a Brazilian-born restaurateur. He takes Tony under his wing. Matt Johnson serves as director, with a script by Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. The trailer opens with Bourdain in college. "Okay, so I’m just going to walk you through the basic vision," he says. "It’s a coming-of-age story." Later, the scene shifts to a bar where he meets a girl he remembers from school (played by Emilia Jones). "Didn’t you punch a hole in the principal’s door?" she asks. The footage also sees him interact with Banderas' character, who lays down the ultimatum: "We open Wednesday to Sunday. Start 11:00 a.m. That means you are here at 10:45," Banderas says. "11:00 is late. Anyone late is fired." Rounding up the rest of the cast are Dagmara Dominczyk, Rich Sommers, Stavros Halkias, and Leo Woodall.
In related news, Johnson revealed how he found his Bourdain. "I had lunch with Dominic in New York with my producer, and within an hour we were writing what would become the screenplay of the movie together," he told EW. "[They are] both from Jersey, both sent to private school, but didn't fit in, both restless and searching. I knew if a scene was working when Dom said, 'Seems right,' and I knew it wasn't when he said, 'Why would I say this?' More than any movie I've ever made, this film was a partnership with an actor. He is in every shot of the movie, and carries the entire story on his hunched shoulders."
