Film & TV

Who Is Dominic Sessa? Everything To Know About 'The Holdovers' Star

Get to know the young actor who will be starring as the late chef Anthony Bourdain in the upcoming biopic Tony.

Dominic Sessa poses in the IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa poses in the IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. Getty Images.

Dominic Sessa stepped into the spotlight less than a year ago, but he has already taken Hollywood by storm. After only appearing in one movie, the holiday indie hit The Holdovers, Sessa has become a new favorite leading man and is sure to make a big name for himself in more films in the future. Most recently, Sessa has plans to star as the late chef Anthony Bourdain in the upcoming biopic, Tony. A24 is in talks to acquire the film from Star Thrower Entertainment with the understanding that Sessa will star in it.

Sessa is a 21-year-old American actor who was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He attended Deerfield Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, through high school, where he participated in school theater productions. He currently attends the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.

Sessa's breakout role in The Holdovers took last year's awards season by storm, especially because his journey into acting was fairly nontraditional. While most young actors spend years auditioning for small roles before they make it big, Sessa was an unlikely and unexpected choice for The Holdovers, but the audience immediately fell in love with his performance. 

When The Holdovers initially began casting, the production was having a hard time finding a young actor who seemed like the right fit to portray the movie's protagonist, Angus Tully, a troubled student at a Massachusetts boarding school. Casting director Susan Shopmaker decided to open up auditions to students at Deerfield Academy, the school that Sessa attended. He immediately caught her eye and was offered the role, and the rest is history.

 

In terms of reviews, public reception, and awards, The Holdovers did well against other blockbusters, especially as an independent film, and Sessa won the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the Independent Spirit Awards as well as the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performance. At just 21 years old, these accolades helped boost his reputation as an already talented, charismatic actor.

Through his short, but striking time in the spotlight, Sessa has also emerged as a high-profile figure with a penchant for unique, captivating looks worn on and off the red carpet. The young actor has also become a frequent face in the front rows of several runway shows, including Tom Ford, where his sleek black suit quickly captured the attention of fans online. Sessa has favored vintage-inspired suits and pared-back, impeccably tailored menswear silhouettes in many of his most memorable looks, and with time, is likely to become one of pop culture's new menswear icons. 

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Dominic Sessa attends the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa attends the 96th Annual Academy Awards. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa wins the Best Breakthrough Performance award for "The Holdovers" at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa at Tom Ford RTW Fall 2024. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa poses in the IMDb Portrait Studio at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa attends the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards. Getty Images.
Dominic Sessa attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards. Getty Images.

Ever since his performance in The Holdovers got such strong reviews, Sessa has been a shoo-in for many different roles in major films. His upcoming projects include roles in Tow, a drama starring Rose Byrne, Oh. What. Fun., a Christmas film, and Now You See Me 3. Portraying such a beloved public figure as Anthony Bourdain in Tony will certainly bring increased attention and expectations for the young actor, but Sessa has already proven that he is up for a challenge.

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