As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the buzz around the Safdie brothers, and it seems tensions may have started way back on the set of their 2017 film. A new report suggests a pretty upsetting incident is what initially caused a rift between them.
Josh and Benny Safdie previously built a reputation as filmmaking partners, directing critically acclaimed crime thrillers like Good Time and Uncut Gems. Now, Josh is receiving Oscar attention for his newest film, Marty Supreme.
In 2023, news emerged that the siblings had stopped working together, and were reportedly no longer speaking. This sudden end to their partnership led to questions about what had caused the split.
According to Page Six, a disagreement during the filming of a scene involving underage actors on the set of “Good Time” caused a rift between the brothers. Sources claim this incident was the beginning of their strained relationship.
The report states that Benny ended his relationship with Josh following the casting of a 17-year-old actress in a scene involving nudity and simulated sexual activity with Buddy Duress.
Michael Stathis, who performed as Duress, wasn’t a professional actor. He had just gotten out of prison and had a past record of crimes involving drugs, theft, and weapons.
Duress landed the part of Ray, a former criminal now out on parole, after meeting Josh through a friend they both knew.
While filming, Josh reportedly watched the scene on a monitor, and Benny operated the boom microphone.
According to reports, Duress, reportedly under the influence of drugs, exposed himself to a 17-year-old and made a sexual advance towards her while the cameras were still recording.
According to a source on set, any competent director would have immediately stopped the scene, but Josh allowed it to go on.
This situation, if true, would violate Screen Actors Guild rules designed to protect young performers from dangerous or unfair working conditions.
According to three sources, Josh didn’t discover the actress’s age until after they finished filming the scene, and only then when she became visibly upset.
Josh didn’t respond when contacted for a statement. The Daily Mail has also reached out to representatives for both brothers for comment.
The scene didn’t make the final cut of the film, which went on to be critically acclaimed and even won an award at the Cannes Film Festival.
After appearing in no other films, Duress passed away in November 2023 at 38 years old due to a heart attack caused by a dangerous combination of drugs.
I’ve always been fascinated by his story. It’s incredible to think his acting career actually began after a really difficult time – he was arrested for heroin possession, but instead of going to jail, he chose to get help through a drug rehab program. That decision, honestly, changed everything for him.
He met Josh around this time, and Josh offered him a role in his upcoming film.
This aspect later became more significant in the 2014 film Heaven Knows What. Duress shared with the New York Post that the filmmakers cautioned him against getting arrested, as they worried it would disrupt the production.
Duress told the outlet: ‘Josh said, “Buddy, please don’t get arrested. It will f*** up the movie”.
Honestly, people always figured I’d run into trouble with the law eventually. But I’d given my word to this one person that I’d finish the film, and for me, keeping my promise was everything – even if it meant facing the consequences.
Honestly, it’s just… heartbreaking. He finished Heaven Knows What, finally, and the very next day, they found him. But get this – he said he was just too happy, too relieved, to even care! Can you believe it? Like, even facing all that, he was just glowing from finishing the film. It’s incredible, and honestly, it kills me every time I think about it.
He explained that being in jail felt surreal, like he was incarcerated for making a film. He believes if he’d entered a rehabilitation program, he likely would have relapsed and repeated his mistakes anyway.
‘My wrong decision resulted in the most positive thing I’ve ever done.’
When the movie premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2014, everyone except Duress was able to enjoy the red carpet event, as he was still incarcerated at Rikers Island.
I’ve always admired loyalty, and the Safdie brothers really showed it with Duress. They believed in him so much, they even passed his name along to director Dustin Guy Defa. That connection led to a fantastic opportunity – Duress landed a role in Dustin’s 2017 film, ‘Person to Person,’ and shared the screen with the incredible Michael Cera! It’s a beautiful example of how networking and support can truly launch someone’s career.
That same year he appeared in the Safdie brothers’ movie Good Times alongside Robert Pattinson.
Reports in Variety indicate that allegations of inappropriate behavior against Good Time producer Josh Safdie resurfaced during the contentious divorce between his former business partner, Sebastian Bear-McClard, and model Emily Ratajkowski.
The report showed that Sebastian had a relationship with the young actress from Good Time after they finished filming, before he started dating Emily. This information is now part of the actress’s legal fight to gain custody of their child.
In 2022, Benny reportedly found out that the actress was underage, which caused conflict between him and his brother.
Sources told Page Six that Josh accused Bear-McClard of being the one who hired her, but Bear-McClard denied any responsibility, stating he wasn’t there when it happened.
The report showed that the Safdie brothers ended their working relationship with Bear-McClard and shut down their joint production company.
The situation became even more difficult when reports about Bear-McClard’s divorce from Ratajkowski were published, and details of the incident involving Good Time were revisited.
According to Page Six, a falling out created a rift between Josh and Benny, leading Benny to end their relationship.
Everyone quickly parted ways, and their project with Adam Sandler was suddenly canceled.
The brothers are said to have stopped speaking to each other, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll reconcile.
In a 2024 interview with Variety, Benny refused to comment on rumors of a disagreement, but stated that the separation was friendly.
He explained that this felt like a natural next step for both of them, allowing each to pursue their individual creative interests. He’s eager to direct projects independently and have the freedom to explore his own vision at this point in his life.
Asked whether he would direct with Josh again, he shrugged and added: ‘I don’t know.’
In an August interview with Empire, Benny addressed rumors of a disagreement, explaining that they’d both begun working on individual film projects while in college. He said that once they achieved their initial goals, they found themselves wondering what to do next.
It felt like things were moving forward naturally, with a growing interest in several options. It was a smooth continuation of what was already happening.
Once they parted ways, Josh began working on “Marty Supreme,” which was his debut as a director working independently.
The movie has been both a commercial and critical success, earning nine nominations for this year’s Academy Awards. These include top categories like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet.
Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s HUGE! Benny finally got to write and DIRECT his own movie! It’s called ‘The Smashing Machine,’ and it’s about MMA – seriously, how cool is that? And get this – it stars Dwayne Johnson AND Emily Blunt! I’ve been following Benny’s career forever, and seeing him take this leap is just… everything!
Okay, so while ‘Marty Supreme’ really swept the awards season, this film had a quieter night. It did receive one Oscar nomination, which was fantastic – for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It just didn’t get the same level of overall recognition, which happens! As a lifestyle expert, I always say it’s about celebrating those achievements, big or small.
Just like at the Golden Globes, Marty Supreme outperformed The Smashing Machine when Timothée Chalamet won Best Actor.
Both Dwayne and Emily were nominated for awards, but unfortunately, neither of them won. Dwayne was up for Best Actor in a drama film, and Emily was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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2026-01-30 03:35