For decades, American chef-writer-travel guide Anthony Bourdain introduced different parts of the world to one another. His first series, No Reservations on the Food Network, and his second series, CNN’s Parts Unknown, saw him reach new heights as an authentic TV personality, earning him legions of fans. He interviewed then-sitting president Barack Obama in a small restaurant in Vietnam, and even visited the West Bank to give its cuisine the international platform it deserves. But how did he get to being one of the most recognizable faces on the planet? That is the story Matt Johnson’s new film, Tony, is here to lay out.
The biopic introduces us to a troubled kid looking for even more trouble, despite his loving if distant parents. Young Bourdain travels to Cape Cod and, out of desperation, finds himself washing dishes in the kitchen of a middling seafood restaurant. This experience went on to provide the basis for the book that launched him into worldwide fame: Kitchen Confidential.
That Shelf’s Alex Southey had a chance to sit down with acting legend Antonio Banderas ahead of the film’s premiere to talk shooting in Cape Cod, how a location impacts an actor’s creativity, and about the subtle depths of his supporting character “Chef”.
Watch the interview below now:
Tony hits theatres in New York and L.A. on August 7, followed by Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver on August 14, and then nationwide on August 21, via A24.
