Antonio Banderas Joins A24's Anthony Bourdain Biopic With Industry-Wide Screening Campaign

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas has taken a supporting role in A24's forthcoming Anthony Bourdain biography Tony, which centers on the renowned chef's early life as a 19-year-old kitchen worker during a transformative summer in Provincetown. The studio is pairing the film's release with a nationwide outreach initiative, offering free advance screenings to restaurant and hospitality workers across 25 American cities on August 3.

The Film and Cast

Tony chronicles Bourdain's formative years through the lens of emerging actor Dominic Sessa, known for his role in The Holdovers. Banderas takes on the character of an enigmatic restaurant owner who employs the young Bourdain within a close-knit but chaotic kitchen environment. The limited theatrical release is scheduled for August 7, with a nationwide expansion on August 21.

Industry Night Screening Initiative

A24's "Industry Night" program represents a deliberate effort to connect the film directly with its subject matter's practitioners. The studio has partnered with OpenTable and Square to coordinate free screenings in partnership with prominent regional chefs, ensuring that servers, dishwashers, line cooks, maître d's, and front-and-back-of-house staff across the restaurant industry have access to advance viewings.

The 25-city screening roster spans major metropolitan areas and secondary markets, from Austin to Philadelphia to San Francisco. Each screening will be hosted by a local chef, with invitations extended to staff from both OpenTable and Square's restaurant networks as well as independent hospitality venues. Host chefs include Stuart Brioza of San Francisco's Atomic Workshop, Rachel Yang of Seattle's Relay Restaurant Group, and Gerard Craft of St. Louis's Niche Food Group, among two dozen others representing diverse culinary traditions and regional cuisines.

Banderas' Career Context

Banderas has maintained a consistent acting presence since the early 1980s, though his international prominence expanded significantly during the 1990s with high-profile roles in films including Desperado (1995) and The Mask of Zorro (1998). His casting in Tony reflects continued work in substantive supporting roles within prestige film projects.