Interview: Dominic Sessa Discusses the Experience of His Big-Screen Debut in ‘The Holdovers’

Imagine making your acting debut by sharing the screen with Paul Giamatti? You’d have to think it’s a pretty intimidating experience. Luckily, as you’ll hear from Dominic Sessa, Giamatti is just a guy, albeit also one of the best actors out there. Along with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the trio form the crux of The Holdovers, one of the best acted films of the year. The movie is Sessa’s introduction to audiences, and what an intro it is. I’ve already spoken to director Alexander Payne here and cinematographer Eigil Bryld here, but today kicks off my chats with the cast of The Holdovers, with Sessa first in line.

In my review of The Holdovers out of the Telluride Film Festival (here), I had this to say about Sessa and his co-stars:

Paul Giamatti and Payne go together impeccably. All three performers are excellent, but Giamatti is the flashier figure. He’s exaggerated at times, but incredibly consistent. Some of his lines are absolutely hilarious, and you’re laughing with the character far more than at him. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is expertly deployed, allowing her subplot to never feel hemmed in, while Dominic Sessa is quite naturalistic. When they’re all together, they bring out the best in each other. The film soars when they’re all bonding. The cast also includes Tate Donovan, Carrie Preston, and more, but it’s about these main three.

Below, you can see my discussion with Sessa. We talk a lot about the experience of having this be his big screen debut. Whether it’s interacting with Giamatti, learning under Payne, or just what it all felt like, it was a fascinating conversation. This young man has quite the future ahead of him, so The Holdovers is very much just a taste of what’s to come. Sessa is going places, to be sure, perhaps even to an Academy Award nomination this year. Once you see The Holdovers, if you haven’t already, you’ll understand why…

Here now is my interview with The Holdovers co-star Dominic Sessa. Enjoy:

The Holdovers is in theaters now!