Asia Argento is currently doing the talk shows on Italian television. The 47-year-old actress is trying to save her father Dario Argento’s (‘Dark Glasses’) latest film, in which she plays a supporting role: The shallow horror flick failed the critics and is ignored by the audience. At the same time, she is busy posting photos of herself and her new boyfriend Michele Titi Martignoni, 26 years old and mixed martial arts professional, on social media. Finally, she proudly announces that she has been sober for a year and a half.
While promoting her latest makeover, Argento finds the biography revelations about celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain inconvenient. American journalist Charles Leerhsen’s book Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain will be published in New York next week. In it, Leerhsen reveals, among other things, the last exchange via voice messages and text messages between Argento and Bourdain. The chef and television star committed suicide while filming an episode of CNN’s culinary show Parts Unknown in France’s Vosges in 2018. He was 61 years old.
Last SMS exchange published
Bourdain and Argento, 19 years his junior, had had an “open relationship” since 2016. Apparently it wasn’t as great for the unequal glamor couple as the two played in public. Rather, the relationship was obviously toxic because both became or remained alcoholics. Bourdain has also suffered from depression for years. Shortly before his suicide, Bourdain was mortified that Argento had flirted with French journalist Hugo Clément (14 years her junior) at the Hotel de Russie in Rome, where the story between her and Bourdain had begun two years earlier.
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain (front, left) and Asia Argento together at the 2017 Emmy Awards. Bourdain committed suicide a year later.
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Image: Picture Alliance
In the most recent text message published by author Leerhsen, Bourdain said: “I have no grudges. I’m not jealous because you’re with another man. i don’t own you You’re free, I’ve always told you that, and I stand by that promise. But you were ruthless with my heart. My life. Im Russian. . . It’s what hurts.” At the same time, Bourdain Argento begs “for mercy” for his hurt and begs, in evident desperation: “Is there anything else I can do?” Asia Argento responded: “Stop pissing me off” ( “Stop busting my balls”). Bourdain’s terse “okay” response may have been the last word he exchanged with a human.
It was Bourdain who paid Argento the $380,000 hush money to abuse victim Jimmy Bennett. Argento, who sparked the me-too movement with her exposure of Harvey Weinstein’s own abuse, finally had to admit after long denials that she had sex with the then-underage actor in a hotel in California. Argento responded in style to the revelation of her rude exchange with Bourdain shortly before his death. She posted a photo of herself over which she put the now almost legendary words: “Stop busting my balls”.
