Dominic Sessa stars as Tony, a surly 19-year-old not yet formed into the Bourdain we have since anointed into culinary sainthood. Related ContentA24 CAME ON BOARD shortly after Sessa and Johnson spoke, and offered to put the TSA project on hold until after Johnson made Tony. Antonio Banderas’ character, Chef, is an amalgam of several mentors from Bourdain’s life. But Sessa says Tony reflects on how Bourdain may have become the “mythic figure” he remains today. Despite the deep dive Johnson has now taken into Bourdain’s life, making Tony hasn’t illuminated his death for the filmmaker.