Anthony Bourdain’s last interview before his death reveals an eerie conversation he once had with girlfriend Asia Argento and how her words impacted him.
“The worst thing Asia ever said to me, she’d had a bad day, she was doing a play in uh, Turin? Somewhere in Italy,” he recalled while speaking to Popula in February. (The interview was not released until Sunday, July 15.) “And she was rehearsing and she’d had a really bad day with the director. Dude, of course. And she comes home and she’s f—king furious.”
“And we’re texting back and forth, cause we only argue by text,” the 61-year-old explained. “She’s like, f—king angry. ‘F—k you too! You always wanna win! You always win!’”
Bourdain’s next statements about their fight are heartbreaking and illuminating following his death by suicide in France on June 8: “I was really offended by this. I was so hurt by this. I do not need to win. I am not a competitive person. I need to survive.”
The chef also spoke about his need to work endlessly and the 42-year-old actress’ similar approach to her career. “I’d entertained the notion that I’m working toward a goal, or a day, where I could sit on a Tuscan hilltop in a hammock with a big stack of books, but I understand now that I couldn’t … that I can’t do that,” he said. “I can do that for short periods of time. But I can’t. I can’t.”
He continued: “It’s helped me a lot that Asia is the same way. That there’s no shame in this, you know … She’ll point out the ridiculousness of kicking back on the beach, because she’ll say right up front … ‘This doesn’t appeal to me at all! This is a living death.’”
Bourdain mentioned passing his belongings on to someone after his death and also talked about his and Argento’s involvement in the #MeToo movement. (The actress and director accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in October 2017.)
Olivia Munn, Terry Crews and dozens of other celebrities wrote an open letter to bullies who have taken aim at Argento in the wake of Bourdain’s death. “We are here to ask those who are angry and grieving the loss of Anthony to find a healthy outlet for their pain,” the letter, published by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, July 12, read. “Asia is a survivor, just as we are, and her fame and outward show of strength does not make her any less vulnerable. Asia is not a headline — she is a human being, and she is in horrific pain.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
