D
Dominic Sessa had not considered pursuing a career in the film industry when he began his senior year at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts. His initial focus had been on hockey, as he was a scholarship student from southern New Jersey and knew that prep schools in New England often lead to successful college careers. However, due to a broken femur and the school’s requirement for winter activities, Sessa found himself participating in theatre, which he quickly excelled at. This led him to consider attending drama school instead. Unexpectedly, during the fall of 2021 while starring in a student production of Neil Simon’s Rumors, Sessa’s drama teacher invited him to audition for a Hollywood casting director who was considering Deerfield as a potential filming location.
The movie was titled The Holdovers and took place in the 1970s, centering around a group of three individuals who find themselves stuck at a boarding school during the holiday season. The director was Alexander Payne, renowned for his darkly humorous and deeply emotional works such as Election, Sideways, and The Descendants. Two weeks after receiving a call from Payne, Sessa met with him. Reflecting on the experience, Sessa shared, “I was amazed that this accomplished individual was willing to come and meet me in the middle of nowhere Massachusetts. Even if it had ended there, I would have been content.”
The process didn’t stop there. After multiple auditions, Sessa was chosen to play one of the main roles in his first film – despite his outstanding performance, you wouldn’t have guessed it was his debut. In the film, he portrays Angus Tully, a moody and directionless teenager who is left alone during the holidays. Sessa impressively holds his own against established actors such as Paul Giamatti, who plays a grumpy professor responsible for looking after him, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who portrays the head chef at the fictional Barton Academy and has recently lost her son in the Vietnam War.
Sessa is a slender, young-looking individual with an angular face. Despite his youthful appearance, he also exudes an air of maturity. His small eyes can easily convey feelings of teenage annoyance or contempt, while the bags under them hint at a deeper, wiser soul. One X user even compared him to “Joan Cusack if she were a man in his 20s.” In his role as Angus, he convincingly portrays a misanthropic character yearning for human connection after being abandoned by his mother and stepfather who chose to go on a honeymoon without him. Despite his reluctance, he eventually finds solace in the company of a grumpy old man and a grieving mother. With sharp timing, biting sarcasm, and just the right touch of vulnerability, Sessa’s debut performance has been rightfully recognized as one of the standout performances of this awards season.
When I encounter Sessa, at a suite in a hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, he is currently in his “first promotional month.” When he’s not attending events, he stays at his mother’s house in New Jersey. At 21 years old, he is dressed sharply in a T-shirt and black jacket, with his character’s signature hairstyle and a more subtle version of 70s sideburns. Sessa is more relaxed and easy-going than Angus, often quick to laugh or contemplate. He gives off the impression of not just being a good student, but also a good sport. The character he plays is not too different from him, as they both come from privileged backgrounds and have attended boarding schools in New England. Both also feel like outsiders in their own way. While Angus is a tough loner from a wealthy family, Sessa’s mother is a teacher and his father passed away when he was 14. As a recipient of financial aid at a prestigious school known for its Ivy League connections, Sessa says, “I made sure to do my absolute best and excel in everything possible.”
He didn’t necessarily feel excluded. “My friends didn’t treat me any differently since we were all high school students. However, it was strange to see my friends’ parents arrive in a black SUV and a helicopter taking off.” (This is the school where Taylor Swift once flew to visit her former boyfriend, Conor Kennedy, who is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy.)
Many of my former classmates had a specific plan for their future, influenced by their family expectations and prestigious education opportunities. However, I and the protagonist, Angus, did not follow this same path. This aspect of the story resonated with me. Despite this, I made an effort not to draw too many comparisons between myself and Angus or try to relate too closely to his experiences. It was important for me to avoid inserting my own personal experiences in a way that felt insincere. Therefore, I intentionally avoided doing so.
The general advice he received on set was to avoid overthinking and just be natural. He was encouraged to protect the instincts that Payne and casting director Susan Shopmaker saw in his first audition. Payne explains via email that despite his rawness, his complexity as an actor and person was evident. Once he grasped the direction they were seeking, he shed his theatrical persona and revealed himself as a skilled film actor.
Sessa only has positive words for Payne, who placed trust in him. He also credits Randolph, who led by example in asking character-related questions on set and taking serious scenes with a balance of gravity and humor. Sessa also speaks highly of Giamatti, describing him as the most humble and genuine person he has encountered in the industry.
According to Payne, Dominic showed his natural talent quickly. Paul Giamatti states that his main role was to constantly remind Dominic of his abilities. Maintaining his confidence was crucial.
“They all advised me to stop pretending and stay true to myself,” he remembers. “Even in my personal life, they warned me not to strive for fame and to remain who I am.” Sessa, unlike many others in his generation, does not prioritize social media. He does not have a TikTok account and his Instagram, with only three posts and less than 9,000 followers at the time of writing, is not verified. “I don’t see it as a necessity or desire,” he states. “The only aspect of it that interests me is the work involved in creating films that evoke emotions in people. And if I do receive attention, I want it to be for the work I do, not for any other reason.”
Fortunately, the individuals I am collaborating with – managers, agents, and others such as Paul, Da’Vine, and Alexander – have not forced me to engage in any of those activities,” he states. However, he speculates that if he desired a larger following, they would probably assist him with that as well. “From the start, we have been consistently reminding him to avoid succumbing to the temptations of Hollywood,” adds Payne. “So far, Dominic has shown that he is level-headed and will not allow it to negatively impact him.”
Ignore the newsletter advertisement.
after newsletter promotion
According to Sessa, the Holdovers crew may not have been considered “super-Hollywood” which could explain their slow integration into the industry. However, when they first visited LA for press, the atmosphere felt similar as everyone was involved in the business. Sessa believes that not much has changed since then and he has been focused on his studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. During his first year of school, he kept quiet about the movie, so it felt like a normal experience. Even now, things still feel normal for him.
Sessa is charmingly unaware of the inner workings of Hollywood, acknowledging the conversation around nepotism but not necessarily recognizing the individuals involved. He admits that he is not well-versed in popular culture and enjoys his ignorance on the topic. This allows him to approach each person he meets with a fresh perspective and not be overwhelmed by their celebrity status.
To be clear, some things have changed: he’s got messages from old coaches and teachers who’ve seen him on screen. He now has a Wikipedia page, a nomination for an Independent Spirit award for breakthrough performance, and has landed a coveted spot on Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch list. And he is very aware, now, of two things: that starting a career in high school on an Alexander Payne set is a rare, unreplicable experience, and that the future is wide open.
He is uncertain about his future plans, considering options such as returning to drama school, exploring a new theater or pursuing another film project if the right opportunity arises. He expresses a desire to challenge himself and try something new. He reflects on the lesson learned from this experience and shares his goal of being involved in the movie industry in any capacity. He ponders the possibility of acting, writing, or even pursuing another avenue, but for now, he is focused on living in the present and not overthinking things.
The movie “The Holdovers” will be released in theaters on January 19th.
Source: theguardian.com
