DOMINIC Sessa has been talking about stepping into Anthony Bourdain’s shoes for Tony — a film that focuses on Bourdain at 19, long before “Kitchen Confidential” and the global TV fame.

Rather than trying to cover an entire life in one sweep, Tony zeroes in on a single summer in Bourdain’s early years, when he was still far from the chef-turned-writer viewers came to know.

Sessa has also discussed how he approached playing a real person at such a formative age, including the pressure that can come with portraying someone who’s so widely recognised later on.

The film’s framing — Bourdain before the legend fully arrives — creates room for a more intimate snapshot, with the story positioned in a period that predates his rise to being a household name.

Sessa has suggested the film’s portrayal also nods toward Bourdain’s later struggles, even while staying rooted in that earlier chapter.

Tony is directed by Matt Johnson.