“I feel like all actors don’t want to become famous… at least the good ones,” Dominic Sessa says, a wry smile appearing across his boyish face. “You want to be able to be invisible, to be able to shape-shift. Once you get too much of a name or a face for yourself, you’re too recognisable and people can’t see you as another person.” It’s an impossible conundrum then – a challenge that Dominic himself is now facing. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but feel obliged to tell the young actor: before too long, he might indeed become the one thing he so desires not to be; if he isn’t already.

Following a busy period promoting his recent comic-drama The Holdovers, in which he stars as troubled but charismatic teen Angus Tully, I find Dominic enjoying some downtime at his family home. He’s sitting in what appears to be his bedroom, casually lounging, hoodie-sporting, spending some quality time with his two cats: Beau and Luna.

For most people, the introduction to the frantic nature of a press rollout for a Hollywood film would be overwhelming – a period of intensity, but also perhaps banality. I wonder to myself how many times Dominic will have answered the questions that I’m about to ask him on our Zoom call. To my pleasant surprise though, the New Jersey-native is consistently enthused. He’s laid back and light-hearted, his baritone musings without wobble or uncertainty. A veteran seasoned in the process, you would think.

The reality is contradictory. Before being cast in Alexander Payne’s emphatically acclaimed, ‘70s boarding school-set flick, Dominic had never stepped in front of the gaze of the camera, although he did shine on stage in a smattering of school productions. His only relation to the film – or any other for that matter – was that he, as well as hundreds of other boys, was educated at a desired location for shooting: Deerfield Academy Boarding School, Massachusetts.

“They wanted to use real schools for the film. They had one school in mind and they were pretty much planning on filming the whole thing there,” the 21-year-old explains. “For some reason that school pulled out so then they were trying to put together one school from like five different ones. When they were scouting locations they, just as a courtesy, auditioned kids [from the prospective schools], to see if any students look like they’re from the ‘70s or whatever. They needed background people and there were a few small roles that were still up in the air, as well as this main role. But I don’t think anyone was really expecting to cast the lead kid through that process.”

He, along with scores of other unbeknownst students, read a few sides without seeing a full script. Weeks after his tape was sent off, he received a call: Payne wanted to meet him. Several auditions later, Dominic Sessa was plucked from the depths of obscurity, and onto the pedestal of the entertainment world’s most grandiose stage.

So, why him? What was it about Dominic that made a two-time, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter forgo a myriad of hopefuls and choose him? “I think in all of [Payne’s] movies, he’s looking for real people and not wanting [them] to seem like an actor or a celebrity, which I think is why he really liked me,” he offers. “He had a look in his mind [for Angus] and there’s something about my hair and I had these crazy sideburns in high school. Maybe he was just in a good mood the day he saw my tape or something. You never know what it is. It really does come down to those moments, the stars having to align in a perfect way.”

It’s Christmas 1970, and Sessa’s Angus Tully is the only student left ‘holding-over’ at his boarding school, Barton Academy, for the holiday period. Cantankerous-yet-misunderstood teacher Paul Hunham (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti in his first collaboration with Alexander Payne since Sideways) is given the dubious task of ensuring the teenage troublemaker conducts himself in a manner worthy of the esteemed institution, assisted by grieving mother and school cook, Mary (the fantastic Da’Vine Joy Randolph). After a steady stream of amusing hiccups, the three misfits metamorphose an unlikely bond. What follows is a subtle, sensitive and utterly charming tale of self-discovery, an incessant search for honesty, and the complexity of simply existing. “It’s about empathy. That willingness to understand – or at least try to understand – another person’s plight and be there for them,” Dominic reflects on the five-time Oscar nominated production. “I think it’s simply about connecting with other human beings, people that maybe you otherwise wouldn’t have in certain situations.”

The centric pulling point of the film is a trio of towering performances. Dominic, despite it being his inceptive role, more than holds his own opposite experienced thespians Giamatti and Randolph. Beautifully understated, he draws you closer into the imperfection of Angus the further the plot progresses, mirroring the actor’s own growing assuredness. After all, he is learning on the job. “It’s really clear to me because we filmed pretty much chronologically. I can see the nerves and that apprehension in the beginning scenes,” he laughingly admits. “It’s funny looking back now, it almost works with the trajectory that the character is taking; he’s so wound up in the beginning and really does let go towards the end.”

To those that don’t attend boarding school, it comes with a degree of infamy. Nepotism in such establishments, though accentuated for the film, is a factor of Angus’s situation that Dominic found himself relating to. “In that setting of a boarding school, you are surrounded by a lot of people who feel like they have their entire lives planned out. What sets [Angus] apart is that he feels he’s at the will of the sails of life; wherever life pulls him that’s where he’s going to go. He doesn’t feel like he has agency and control, and I felt like that when I was a senior; not really knowing what I wanted to do, and the only thing I wanted to do didn’t really seem possible.”

Dominic’s experience on set was wholly positive. Giamatti was a huge influence for the newcomer, especially “watching him off camera, how he behaves around everyone else, how he carries himself, all that stuff.” The pair developed a close off-screen relationship during the shooting period, rarely discussing the film, instead merely enjoying each other’s company. “He really trusted me with everything,” Dominic offers. “He’s somebody I’ve seen for so long on the screen, I kind of felt like I knew him in a lot of ways when I met him.”

Working with and guided by such distinguished professionals as Giamatti, Randolph and Payne, Dominic has been spoiled with a cacophony of industry riches from the get go – something that he’s very much aware of. “It’s going to be very different moving forward. It was a totally unique experience to have [a cast and crew] like that. The whole energy that [Payne] brings to the set is a very special thing that I’ve tried to find the words for. I know that I’m never going to find something like that again.”

The Holdovers has been met with public adoration – some calling it an instant Christmas classic (in the US at least, this side of the Atlantic we didn’t get the film until mid January, which me and Dominic both agreed was “bullshit”). The film has also been met with unwavering critical acclaim; a mainstay on most major awards lists this season, with Dominic himself amongst the nominees for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTA’s, as well as bringing home the prize for Best Young Actor/Actress at the revered Critics Choice Awards.

The latter ceremony took place just days before our conversation, and I congratulate him on his success. “I’m just really flattered by it. I was just hoping that people would like it and resonate with it in some way,” he answers casually, presenting the same warm nonchalance he has emitted throughout our time together. “Obviously with Da’Vine and Paul also getting all the recognition that they deserve… I don’t know, to be included in that in some way, it’s like really fucking cool man.”

Receiving such roaring applause at the first time of asking brings up the question – what happens when it quietens? The pressure is on Dominic to follow his debut turn with one of equal or elevated artfulness. For him though, the picture extends beyond the canvas laid out in front of him.

“To move on from this I’ve gotta make the right next move,” he says. “But at the same time, I’m still young and I’m an actor and an artist. I want to be creating and exploring, so I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. If I find something that I really like and think will be fun to play then that’s the direction I’ll go. I don’t want to take it too seriously, you gotta have room for fun. I definitely want to keep getting on stage and doing theatre and I would obviously love to do more movies in the future. But yeah man [he shrugs then grins], I guess we’ll just have to see.”

With the Zoom countdown looming, our conversation draws closer to finality. Dominic tells me of how The Holdovers has spawned an infatuation with a plethora of disciplines behind the camera – from writing to directing and editing – something that he hopes to pursue at some point in his career.

It’s clear following the 40 or so minutes I’ve shared with Dominic that he has a maturity beyond his tender years, a natural talent that is untampered yet nurtured, and a vision that is ambitious but grounded. There’s no reason why he can’t be one of the most famous actors in the world – despite his steadfast inclination to not be.

He signs off with a moment of reflection; on The Holdovers, himself, and his future prospects. “You’re not going to make everyone happy, not everyone is going to love you,” he muses. “Thankfully, this first time, the film hasn’t gotten a lot of hate, people have tended to enjoy it for the most part, which is great. But I’m sure they’ll be things that I do that people aren’t stoked about and don’t love. But that’s fine, it’s about learning and growing and having those experiences, those failures, so you can have those triumphs again.” C’est la vie, aye?

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