Taking on the role of Anthony Bourdain means stepping into one of the most beloved legacies in American food culture. For Dominic Sessa, the 23-year-old star of Tony and the breakout of 2023’s Oscar-winning The Holdovers, playing Bourdain was his first real introduction to the man behind the myth. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy A24Like Bourdain, Sessa is a New Jersey kid who was thrown into an intense career at a young age. But first, he spoke with W about discovering Bourdain by playing him—and, in the process, finding himself. We know these are things that are going to be a part of Bourdain’s life, but you get a sense of why it felt so welcome—because it was exciting.