After a breakthrough performance in The Holdovers (2023), Dominic Sessa is set for greatness. In New York, Nicolaia Rips meets a different kind of Gen Z sex symbol.
Dominic Sessa, one of the contemporary actors in Hollywood, is relaxing in a dressing room at Paul Smith, folded up in a corner chair. The twenty-three year old Jersey native is slighter than he seems on screen, feline in motion, down to earth, and very funny, often putting a little Larry David spin on things. When I enter he gives me a respectful half-bow.
While still in boarding school at the prestigious New England Academy Deerfield, Sessa was propelled into the public eye as a teenage Holden Caulfield type in The Holdovers. Though he’s only been in one movie so far, he’s about to come into his own as a full fledged Jackass loving, Gen Z sex symbol. His slate for the year is packed: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025), the third installment in beloved magician franchise, Oh. What. Fun. (2025) a jaunty Michael Showalter joint, and, his biggest get so far, Tony himself in the upcoming Anthony Bourdain biopic.
His characters are obsessives: magicians, teenagers, line cooks. In part that’s because Sessa is driven by a desire to learn (maybe it’s having forgone college for cinema, maybe it’s just his style). Ahead of his first time at Reggio, a New York hangout sporting the oldest cappuccino in the city, Sessa and I chatted about learning on the job, making movie magic…and also real magic.
Nicolaia Rips: Were you rebellious at school?
Dominic Sessa: Well, no, I mean, I think I’m pretty tame. Outside of high school, I had a good amount of freedom, I was able to get myself into safe trouble and learn from that. But I think a lot of kids I went to school with were not only sheltered in school, but then when they went home, they had the strictest parents. Do you know what the wilderness program is? They literally kidnap the kid, and take them to the middle of nowhere, Utah or something. And that happened to probably, like, three or four of my friends. I think there parents that were in their 70s that just didn’t really know how to, like, deal with a teenager in this time. So they would resort to that. But it was kind of funny. I mean, we would come back from winter break and be like, “Oh, like, where’s Kyle? Anybody heard from him?” And then they come back, like three, four months later, like “Guys, you have no idea.”
NR: I read an interview that said that you lived at home with your mom, which, no shame, are you still living with your mom?
DS: No, not with my mom anymore, thankfully, although I miss her sometimes. I miss her cooking stuff. I miss the smell of her house. It smells a lot better than my apartment. But, yeah, I was kind of all over the place last year and the year before: I was in college, and then The Holdovers came out, and I was filming a lot of stuff after that. I was mostly living in hotels which was sick. Like, honestly, pretty awesome. Never having to do my own laundry. My room was clean every day.
NR: How was shooting Now You See Me?
DS: Budapest was so fun, honestly one of my favorite cities. I had one weekend—all my friends were juniors in college at that point, and they were all abroad, like various cities in Europe—and they all came and visited me in Budapest. I had like eight kids in my apartment. We just went crazy. They have casinos there, insane clubs, bars in ruins. There’s a McDonald’s that turns into a club at night. It’s so awesome. And then we went to Abu Dhabi. My birthday fell over the time I was in Abu Dhabi and I went out and had a sick desert party. There were fire dancers and belly dancers. They were like we’re going out to the desert. I had no idea what’s happening.
NR: Were you a fan of magic before you started preparing for this role?
DS: Not obsessively, but I was always fascinated by it, and thought the idea of being a magician was cool. I just never had the discipline and focus to do it for real. I figured pretending to be one was the closest thing. Magicians are looked at as sort of nerdy. And it’s cool to do something where they’re like superheroes, in a way.
NR: Do you have a favourite?
DS: David Blaine’s the coolest. The way he talks about tricks, where he can’t sleep at night until he figures out how he can do it. I just respect anyone who obsesses over something that much and cares about it that much. He’s an insane, wild human being. I was at a dinner with him a couple weeks ago, and he started eating wine glasses in front of everyone. Like, dude, that’s not a trick. He’s just fucking eating glass!
NR: Do you feel like now that you’ve been immersed in the world of magic you could expose David?
DS: No, because there’s no trick to it. I think he’s just found out how to grind the glass down to where he can swallow it. I think he says his mouth is like fucked up from eating, like, hot coals.
NR: My new life goal is to interview David Blaine’s dentist.
DS: He had good teeth, though. I don’t know if I think they’re real. They looked real. I mean, I wasn’t staring at his teeth.
NR: So okay, magic and food, with the new Anthony Bourdain biopic.
DS: I thought you were talking about my mom’s food. I wish she was more helpful. I guess I did cook a little. The biggest thing I learned was shucking oysters. I had the advantage, at least on the cooking side of things, that in the story we were telling, I’m like, basically a dishwasher for 90% of the film.
“I guess I did cook a little. The biggest thing I learned was shucking oysters. I had the advantage, at least on the cooking side of things, that in the story we were telling, I’m like, basically a dishwasher for 90% of the film.”
Dominic Sessa
NR: After The Holdovers I know you decided to go college but now you’ve paused that.
DS: Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I do hope that at some point I can take some time to go back and finish. I always imagined I would graduate college and have a degree in something. That was always really important to me. So, while I’m really excited about life and I feel lucky that I’m doing what I love to do, it’s weird to think that all my friends are graduating college this year. I feel like I’m missing out a little bit, but can’t complain. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I even considered acting so I’m still troubleshooting reality compared to what my expectations were.
NR: And what did you want to do?
DS: I had a lot of different weird ideas. I wanted to be a plastic surgeon at one point, like I wanted to do nose jobs and boob jobs and live in Beverly Hills and just make a killing doing that. I applied to colleges, not as an acting major, but as an English major. Maybe I would write books or something, which I still can.
NR: Who are your favorite writers?
DS: I like Mark Twain and David Mitchell.
“I don’t really go to Hollywood parties, not that I have anything against them, I’d much rather just play darts with my boys.”
Dominic Sessa
NR: Tell me about working with Michael Showalter on Oh. What. Fun.
DS: He was so funny. His trailer was like, walking into a kindergarten classroom. He had streamers and stuff, arts and crafts. He was like, “Yo, you ever played with UV glue? This stuff is insane, you can glue it together and then it glows in the dark!” Such a kind, interesting person. It’s hard to believe that people like that exist, and when you’re around them, it really makes you want to be a better person. Honestly, out of everything I’ve done, probably I’m most excited about that. It’s so genuinely hilarious. Being around Michelle Pfeiffer is just surreal. What a woman! There’s a scene that we were shooting, we’re all at the dinner table, and I’m sitting on her lap during it. The whole time I was just like, freaking out. Such a great cast. I think a relatable story of people coming home for Christmas and just fucking arguing with each other. I learned how to play guitar a little bit.
NR: Had you been wanting to do a straight comedy after The Holdovers?
DS: When I was in high school I was sort of a class clown and people always assumed that I would be doing something in comedy. And it just sort of happened that I did this kind of dramatic thing. I find people who are good with comedy are also the best with dramatic stuff. The people must laugh if you want them to cry. Like Paul Giamatti, is such an emotionally captivating actor, but he’s also one of the funniest people in the world. I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself doing these films, playing these characters and just being around professionals. I feel like I’m changing really fast, but it’s exciting, nerve wracking, but I’m surrounded by the best people, which is important.
NR: It seems like you have a really tight group of friends and some serious supporters.
DS: I still hang out with my core group, and I don’t really see that ever changing. I don’t really go to Hollywood parties, not that I have anything against them, I’d much rather just play darts with my boys.
Credits
Creative Producers: Lauren Southcott, Chris Cotonou
Local Producer: Olivia Kenney
Video Director: Vivian Kim
DP: Nolan Zangas
Director’s Assistant: Nikki Burnett
Post Production: John Landry
Stylist: Izaake Zuckerman
Grooming: Melissa Dezarate
Special thanks to Paul Smith SoHo, 88 Wooster St, New York, NY 10012
Look 1, pages 102,103: Paul Smith Navy Pinstripe Wool Trouser, Paul Smith Navy Pinstripe Double-Breasted Blazer, Paul Smith Brown Mixed Striped Tie.
Look 2, pages 105,106,108: Paul Smith Relaxed Tapered-Fit Vintage-Wash Jeans, Paul Smith Black Wool and Cashmere Epsom Coat, Paul Smith Green Silk-Blend ‘Signature Stripe’ Socks, Paul Smith Men’s Leather Black ‘Godwin’ Shoes.
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