Summary
- Dominic Sessa’s debut in The Holdovers was a knockout, earning him a spot at the Oscars.
- He shared the screen with acting powerhouses Giamatti and Randolph, feeling comfortable with them.
- Sessa’s next project, Tow, stars Rose Byrne and Demi Lovato, promising another great performance.
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers featured one of the most memorable trios in recent years, and one of the best debut performances of all time thanks to an incredible turn from Dominic Sessa alongside the experienced (and Oscar-winning) Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Paul Giamatti. The three play lonely ‘holdovers’ at a Massachusetts boarding school who don’t have anyone to go home to during Christmas break. Sessa is a young and troubled student, Randolph is a cook grieving the loss of her son, and Giamatti is the teacher who drew the short straw for the year and is tasked with looking after the place and students.
It’s a pretty impressive feat to have such a breakout performance be your very first film, and to go to the Oscars for it. His performance won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. We caught up with Sessa at the 96th Academy Awards to discuss his experience and his upcoming film Tow, which also stars Rose Byrne and Demi Lovato. You can check out our interview and the trailer for The Holdovers below.
The 96th Academy Awards: Dominic Sessa Has ‘No Words’
4.5/5
Release Date November 10, 2023
Runtime 2hr 13min
Studio Miramax, CAA Media Finance
Standing near Kirsten Dunst and husband Jesse Plemons (who is looking slim and very fit) on one side of him and Brendan Fraser and Jack Quaid on another side, Dominic Sessa radiated excitement and gratitude. The actor quickly went from doing school productions of Antigone and No Exit to being at the biggest awards ceremony in the film world. We asked Sessa how he was feeling:
Right now, I feel like this is sort of the day I’ve been looking for and waiting for and hoping for, for a really long time. So to be here, the only way I can explain it is, there’s no place I’d rather be. It’s hard to kind of attach a feeling to that, that sort of realization that this is the place you’d rather be than anywhere in the whole entire world.
Related: The Holdovers Review: Paul Giamatti Leads One of the Best Movies of the Year
Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti have already created an Oscar-winning film together with Sideways, so we asked Sessa if he ever expected The Holdovers to take him to the Academy Awards:
“No, for me, just making the movie was crazy. It’s my first movie, so just being a part of something like that is insane in itself. All I was hoping for was that it would actually come out and people would see it, you know. Whatever happened after that — I didn’t even care if people hated it, I wanted it to be out there and for people to see it. So the fact that people are liking it and that it’s brought us here, it’s crazy, man, it’s insane. Like, no words.”
Working with Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Sessa’s performance as the rich but emotionally damaged Angus Tully, initially a pain in the neck for Giamatti’s character before they develop a sweeter relationship, is reminiscent of the great ‘troubled youth’ dramedies of the ’60s and ’70s. You can almost see Dustin Hoffman from The Graduate or Bud Cort from Harold & Maude in his performance. He’s at ease acting opposite two powerhouses. We asked if the star power in the film intimidated him at all.
“I think I equally felt sort of intimidated by both of them, before I met them,” explained Sessa. “But as soon as I met them and we had a read-through of the script together, I just felt like they were the easiest people to work with ever. Honestly, I was so comfortable with those two that, when I’d have a day or a scene with someone else, that’s what would get me sort of nervous, like, ‘I haven’t worked with this person!’ But with them, I felt so comfortable.”
Sessa has certainly broken through, and will be joining other big stars in a new film called Tow. He explained:
I’m doing a movie starting in April, called
Tow
. It’s going to be starring Rose Byrne. She’s amazing. I love her work. I’m playing a really great supporting role, and Demi Lovato just hopped on it too. It’s going to be awesome, I can’t wait for it.
You can view the original article HERE.
