Who was Buddy Duress? The troubled actor at the centre of the Safdie brothers’ explosive split

Buddy Duress was not just a side character in Good Time; he became a central figure in one of the most serious behind-the-scenes controversies in modern indie cinema, linked to the eventual split of the Safdie brothers.

He went from homelessness and heroin addiction to walking the Cannes red carpet, and later became connected to the on-set incident that ultimately ended the filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie’s creative partnership.

So, who is Buddy Duress?

via Flinch

Buddy Duress was not his real name. He was born Michael Stathis and had no formal acting background. According to The New York Times, he grew up in a chaotic home, experienced abuse from his father, and was frequently in trouble from a young age.

By his early 20s, he was homeless, living on the streets of Manhattan, addicted to heroin, selling heroin to survive, and repeatedly arrested.

His life changed after meeting filmmaker Josh Safdie. Safdie was collecting real-life stories to develop a film project, which later became Heaven Knows What.

Duress was not originally meant to have a major role in the film, but he gradually became more involved in the production and formed a close working relationship with Safdie. Together, they created his stage name, Buddy Duress, partly inspired by his dog.

Josh Safdie told Filmmaker Magazine in 2015, “He’s a street legend, kinda, a criminal. I had heard tons of stories about him before I met him, and when I finally did, I was smitten.”

Duress later appeared alongside Michael Cera, acted opposite Robert Pattinson, and walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.

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When Good Time premiered at Cannes, he entered the Grand Théâtre Lumière to a standing ovation.

So, what happened during the filming of Good Time?

via A24

According to Page Six, during the production of Good Time, a 17-year-old girl was cast to play a s*x worker.

Multiple sources said that during a simulated s*x scene, Buddy Duress was high, pulled down his trousers, exposed himself, and asked the girl if he could “stick it in”, while the cameras continued to roll.

At the time, Josh Safdie was allegedly watching the scene on a monitor, and Benny Safdie was standing nearby holding the boom microphone. An on-set source said, “Any director who had seen that should have yelled ‘Cut!’ and stopped the scene, but Josh let it continue.”

Josh Safdie became aware of the girl’s age on the day of production, shortly after the scene was filmed, as the girl became distressed.

Using a minor in a nude or simulated s*x scene would violate Screen Actors Guild rules, which state that working conditions must not be “detrimental to the health, morals and safety of the minor”.

The scene was later removed before the film’s premiere at Cannes. Sources close to the production said it was cut “for creative reasons”.

So, why did the Safdie brothers split?

via Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

Benny Safdie was not aware at the time of filming that the girl was a minor. He only learned the full details in 2022, years after the film’s release.

The information emerged during the divorce proceedings between producer Sebastian “Sebo” Bear-McClard and actress Emily Ratajkowski. Bear-McClard allegedly threatened to disclose what had happened on the Good Time set. A friend of the brothers described the revelation as creating a “wedge” between them.

Josh Safdie reportedly blamed Bear-McClard for hiring a minor. Bear-McClard disputed this, saying he was not responsible for verifying her age. Sources also noted that Bear-McClard was not present in the room when the incident happened.

After this, the brothers cut ties with Bear-McClard and entered private mediation to dissolve the company they had founded together.

A source said, “You don’t all of a sudden develop a moral conscience six years later. Like that’s not how it works.”

Despite the tensions, Josh and Benny Safdie continued working together for around nine months and were in pre-production on a project with Adam Sandler in early 2023. In March 2023, further reporting on the divorce and the Good Time incident made the situation public. Sources said that Benny then “swiftly ended his creative partnership” with Josh.

Buddy Duress died in November 2023, aged 38. His brother confirmed that he died from cardiac arrest caused by a drug cocktail including heroin.

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