A24’s Anthony Bourdain Biopic Casting Is Chef’s Kiss

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.

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