AFTER a skateboarding accident broke his femur – and put his hockey dreams on hold – Dominic Sessa chose acting as his required high school extracurricular activity.
The choice, or lack thereof, led to Sessa’s breakthrough performance in the 2023 film The Holdovers, leaving fans curious to learn more about the Hollywood star’s background and family life.
Who are Dominic Sessa’s parents?
Dominic Sessa was raised in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey by his parents, Frank A. Sessa Jr. and Jennifer M. Sessa.
Sessa also has a sister, Isabella C. Sessa.
Frank was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on October 15, 1970.
He worked in sales for Premier Payroll in Royersford, Pennsylvania.
Sessa previously called his father a “payroll guy,” in an interview with The New Yorker.
Unfortunately, Sessa’s father passed away on April 1, 2017, when Sessa was just 14 years old.
Sessa’s mother, Jennifer, is a teacher.
She teaches English and theater at Lower Cape May Regional High School, in Cape May, New Jersey.
Jennifer relocated there after Sessa secured a financial aid scholarship to attend boarding school.
“It’s very easy, I think, for me initially to create a lot of parallels with my own story, with my own father,” Sessa said, discussing his character, Angus, with The Guardian.
“But for me to try to input any of my personal experiences felt disingenuous in a lot of ways.”
“So I made sure to really get away from that,” he added.
Who is Dominic Sessa?
Dominic Sessa is an American actor.
He was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on October 25, 2002.
Before the start of his sophomore year of high school, Sessa received a scholarship to attend Deerfield Academy, a preparatory boarding and day school in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
He began his acting career in the school’s theater program, acting in several plays, including Antigone and Rumors.
In September 2023, Sessa was named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch for 2023.
The rising star made his debut playing Angus Tully in the 2023 coming-of-age film, The Holdovers.
Sessa’s performance earned him several awards and accolades, including a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2024 British Academy Film Awards and a win for Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards.
Sessa is next set to appear alongside Rose Byrne in the film Tow, directed by Stephanie Laing.
The movie is based on the true story of Amanda Ogle, “a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and the car that held it all together after receiving a tow bill for $21,634,” according to Deadline.
In a 2024 interview with Wonderland, Sessa credits his acting success to not wanting to be famous.
“I feel like all actors don’t want to become famous…at least the good ones, you want to be able to be invisible, to be able to shape-shift,” he said.
“Once you get too much of a name or a face for yourself, you’re too recognizable and people can’t see you as another person,” he added.
Sessa is currently a student at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.
He took a brief leave of absence to attend awards season events for The Holdovers.
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How did Dominic Sessa get his role in The Holdovers?
Dominic Sessa secured his breakthrough role in The Holdovers in a somewhat unconventional way.
The film, directed by Alexander Payne, also stars Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Payne made a choice to film at several New England private schools, including Deerfield Academy, where Sessa was a student.
Payne, along with the film’s casting director, Susan Shopmaker, had seen “hundreds of actors for the role of Angus Tully,” as reported by Town and Country.
According to Payne, “we weren’t sure about any of them to play the lead.”
Payne then reached out to the schools where he would be shooting, and the head of the drama department at Deerfield got back to him.
Shopmaker went to Deerfield in the fall of 2021 and ultimately ended up seeing 12 students audition for the role before telling Payne that Sessa was the right choice.
Payne then auditioned Sessa on his own several times.
“It was interesting to see somebody just born to be a film actor,” he recalls.
“I was pleasantly surprised at how little direction I had to give him.”
“He really just did it like a total pro from the get go, knew his dialogue backward and forward, would do as many takes as I wanted and do whatever I needed him to do.”
Sessa credits some of his success to being able to relate to his character, Angus.
“I identify with Angus in a lot of ways,” the actor said.
“ I go to what some people would consider to be an affluent boarding school, but I don’t necessarily come from a very affluent family, so I definitely have a sense of slight alienation.”
“Coming into a place like this, I felt a bit of an outcast in some ways. It resonates with me,” he added.
Payne, meanwhile, believes Sessa is “just born to do it,” referring to acting.
“He has a natural talent and has the skills that other people take Learning Annex classes for,” he added.
“He’s able to do all that stuff and hold his own against Paul Giamatti. It’s no small feat,” he said.