Naman Shrestha
Inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s 2000 memoir ‘Kitchen Confidential’ and his early years working in P-Town, Massachusetts, ‘Tony’ is a biographical comedy drama movie brought to life by the vision and direction of Matt Johnson. Offering a fictionalized version of a pivotal summer in Bourdain’s life, the narrative is set in 1975, when a dejected, depressed 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain escapes to Provincetown, Massachusetts, after his application for a writing fellowship gets rejected. Soon, he enters the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen when he takes a summer job at a Cape Cod restaurant, working under its talented Brazilian-born head chef, Ciro, who becomes Tony’s mentor.
Over the course of the transformative summer, Tony meets with Nancy and forms a lifelong bond with the restaurant staff, with whom he learns and comes to appreciate the art of cooking. The coming-of-age origin story of Bourdain stars Dominic Sessa as the titular character, supported by other talented actors, including Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, and Dagmara Dominczyk. The tale unfolds in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with its coastal visuals against the summer sun, setting the stage for Tony’s journey that would go on to shape the rest of his life.
Tony Filming Locations
The shooting for Anthony Bourdain’s biopic ‘Tony’ took place in the actual old stomping grounds of the late chef and writer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Within the hook-shaped peninsula, Provincetown and Dennis served as the primary production locations, with other parts of Massachusetts, including Norton, Brockton, Plymouth, and Kingston, also featuring in a few portions of the movie. From what we can tell, principal photography for the Dominic Sessa starrer seemingly commenced in late May 2025 and continued for over a month before wrapping up in early July of the same year.
Provincetown, Cape Cod
For about five and a half days in June 2025, the production team of ‘Tony’ set up camp in Provincetown, at the very tip of Cape Cod. To find appropriate backdrops for the movie’s visual canvas, they moved through several spots in the city. Many shots were taped on and around Commercial Street. Filming took place around the narrow pedestrian street, including a few establishments. In particular, Spiritus Pizza at 190 Commercial Street doubled up as the workplace of Tony’s high school sweetheart, Nancy Putkoski, over her summer vacation. Interestingly, it is the very spot where the real-life Nancy once worked.
Elated about shooting on location, especially considering the wholesome history attached to it, Location Manager Charlie Harrington stated, “We shot it at the real place, and I learned as I was making the movie that Nancy actually worked at Spiritus Pizza that summer in real life. Tony apparently used to sleep on top of the walk-in cooler in the back because he became friends with the owner. He ended up marrying Nancy, the girl he’s chasing the whole movie.”
In the heart of the town, some scenes were lensed at Lobster Pot at 321 Commercial Street, Portuguese Bakery at 299 Commercial Street, and the Old Colony Tap at 323 Commercial Street. The crew also captured exterior shots at the actual seafood restaurant and bar where Bourdain kickstarted his culinary journey as a dishwasher — The Flagship at 463 Commercial Street. In addition to the aforementioned spots, filming was also conducted at MacMillan Pier at 9 MacMillan Pier; 229 Commercial Street, Masonic Place, as well as a few alleyways and beaches in Provincetown.
Dennis, Cape Cod
The filming unit of ‘Tony’ also took over the streets, businesses, and properties in the seaside resort town of Dennis, lying on the eastern banks of the Bass River. To be specific, Gina’s By the Sea at 134 Taunton Avenue served as one of the key shooting locations for the Matt Johnson directorial. The location manager, Charlie Harrington, revealed that many pivotal sequences for the biopic were shot in Dennis, where he resided. During the aforementioned conversation with CN Traveller, he added, “I had a five-minute commute every day. Antonio Banderas’ house – with the dune in the background, where Tony gets splashed with water every morning – was only a mile from my house. All the beach scenes were shot just in front of that house, beyond the dunes. Gina’s by the Sea is two miles from my house.”
Initially, the plan was to shoot only a part of ‘Tony’ on location on Cape Cod, but later, the production team “wanted to shoot every exterior on Cape Cod because it just looks much better.” Charlie’s favorite location visually was the chef’s house. “The house had a great interior, great exterior, and that dune is right next to the hammock that he (Tony) is sleeping at. From there you can see the ocean, and in reality, you can see P-Town in the background, too. The house had been in someone’s family since it was built in the 20s. So that was my favourite. I did a painting of that porch with the hammock for the production designer as a wrap gift,” he said. The location manager also acknowledged how cooperative the homeowner and the owner of Gina’s by the Sea were during the shoot.
Other Locations in Massachusetts
Additional portions of the drama film were also taped at other locations across Massachusetts, including Plymouth County. In particular, the cast and crew of ‘Tony’ were spotted recording pivotal scenes at a real-life residential property in Brockton that doubled as the Bourdain family home, at a house that depicted Nancy’s home in Plymouth, and in the coastal town of Kingston. Several key portions were also shot in the campus of Wheaton College at 26 East Main Street in the town of Norton.
Read More: Where Was One Night Only Filmed?
You must be logged in to post a comment.