Anthony Bourdain documentary gives only quick glance of his teen daughter in present times — here’s why
Gina Salamone
The new Anthony Bourdain documentary “Roadrunner” goes into all the raw details of his colorful life, but gives only a fleeting glance of his teen daughter as she is now.
And with good reason, according to the director of the film that premiered last week at the Tribeca Festival and hits theaters July 16.
The documentary features footage of the late chef and travel show host carrying his only child, Ariane, when she was a toddler, holding her on his shoulders in a pool and otherwise doting on her while she was young.
But there’s no sign of Ariane, who was born in 2007, as she is now until the very end of the two-hour film. Viewers see her from behind, walking away from the camera alongside her mom, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, who was Bourdain’s second wife.
“Tony and Ottavia had always decided to keep their daughter out of the public eye and so even though Tony’s gone, I think that was something that Ottavia still believes, and I get it,” Morgan Neville, who directed “Roadrunner,” told the Daily News. “We used a bunch of shots of his daughter when she was younger, but now that she’s a teenager, it just felt crossing the line to really do it.
Anthony Bourdain was a recognized food writer on top of his careers as chef and host of shows like "Parts Unknown" and "No Reservation." Bourdain is pictured here as he signs his first book, "Bone in the Throat," in 1995.
Anthony Bourdain tastes a meal prepared for him at the Times Square restaurant Tintol on April 12, 2006.
Bourdain, a 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was made the executive chef of French restaurant Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan in 1998, where he stayed for some time.
While at Les Halles, Bourdain wrote one of his most succesful books, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," about his time working in the restaurant industry.
On top of his career as a chef and an author, Bourdain, here walking along the Gaza Strip in 2005, hosted the popular travel food shows "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown" from 2005-2012, and then from 2013 to the present day.
Celebrated chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain was found dead by suicide in France on June 8, 2018. Bourdain, who was 61, was shooting an episode of his award-winning show “Parts Unknown.” Here, he poses in a New York restaurant on Aug. 8, 2007.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain shake hands at a shopping area in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 24, 2016. The former president taped the second part of an interview with Bourdain before leaving the Vietnamese capital for Ho Chi Minh City.
Anthony Bourdain took home a Creative Arts Emmy award for outstanding informational series or special for "Parts Unknown" in 2016.
Anthony Bourdain began dating Italian actress Asia Argento in 2017 when the two met while Bourdain was filming an episode of "Parts Unknown." He was a vocal supporter of Argento advocating for women's rights after speaking out about her ssault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
Anthony Bourdain smiles on stage during his celebrity roast at Pier Sixty in New York in 2012. Fellow chefs, including Rachel Ray, Guy Fieri and Mario Battali were in attendance.
Author and chef of Les Halles Anthony Bourdain shows off his culinary skills in the Les Halles kitchen on Park Avenue in 2004.
Anthony Bourdain smiles as he attends the "Parts Unknown Last Bite" live CNN talk show at Atomic Liquors on Nov. 10, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“But when I explained this idea I had for Ottavia at the end, as kind of just checking in with people in the film, she sent me that video,” Neville explains. “And it was great. It was a chance to feel like they’re still here, and they’re still moving on.”
Bourdain, who died by suicide in 2018 at age 61, was known for his food and travel shows like “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown,” in addition to writing an explosive book, “Kitchen Confidential,” about his experience working in restaurant kitchens.
The new documentary features interviews with Busia-Bourdain, as well as Bourdain’s friends, colleagues and his brother. The film explores his extreme highs and lows, from his immense TV success to his addictive personality and depression.
