Hollywood director duo Safdie Brothers went their separate ways in late 2023; however, now-late actor and convicted criminal Buddy Duress and his drama on the sets of their 2017 crime thriller, Good Time, may have had something to do with it.Josh and Benny Safdie, who announced their “amicable” split in January 2024, cited creative differences. But a January 26 exclusive report by Page Six Hollywood says a different story.Josh, 41, crossed paths with “non-actor” Buddy Duress when the latter managed to evade the authorities for a year between August 2013 and 2014. The elder Safdie brother cast Duress in his 2014 film, Heaven Knows What, followed by Good Time, despite his on-and-off time spent at Rikers Island.It was in the Robert Pattinson film that Buddy Duress had an explicit scene with a 17-year-old newcomer actress, who was cast as a prostitute by A24 producer Sebastian Bear-McClard. During the filming, Duress was allegedly “high” and exposed himself to his underage colleague, asking whether he could “stick it in.”While the actress was left traumatized and spiralling, Josh Safdie reportedly got to know about her age on the day itself, right after the scene was filmed. Meanwhile, Benny Safdie learnt about the same in 2023, which in turn created a “wedge” between the siblings, eventually leading to their split.All about Buddy Duress amid Safdie Brothers’ split revelationBuddy Duress, whose real name was Michael Constantine Stathis, was born in Queens, New York, in May 1985. His parents were Greek and Italian immigrants. After their divorce, Duress was raised by an abusive single dad in New Jersey.Later, during his teenage years, he moved back in with his brother and mother. Until he was 21, Buddy had several run-ins with the law, for drug possession, motor vehicle/ identity theft, shoplifting, weapons violations, and fencing stolen property.On most occasions, he was convicted and spent time in and out of Rikers Island for months. In 2013, Duress was taken into custody for heroin possession and was given a choice between eight months in a drug rehab program or two years in jail.Buddy Duress chose the former. However, during his transfer from the prison to the rehab facility, he managed to escape and became a fugitive for a year.Speaking with SSense in 2017, Duress recalled:“When I was sitting there, I already knew I wasn’t going to go. I waited an hour and a half for the escort who never showed, and then I just left and got a random person on the subway to swipe me. I went straight home, took a shower and shaved, told my mom what was happening and how I was gonna go on the run for as long as possible.”Buddy continued:“In my head, it was like, as long as I can, I’m gonna be on the run and enjoy summer, and evade the authorities. And when they catch me, I’ll take it like a man.”However, slipping custody proved life-changing for him. He had a chance encounter with actress-author Arielle Holmes, who was working with the Safdie Brothers on Heaven Knows What.Holmes recommended Duress to Josh Safdie, who, in turn, cast him in the movie. However, the director warned Buddy not to get arrested.Buddy Duress later recalled what Josh told him, while interviewing with the New York Post:“‘Buddy, please don’t get arrested. It will f**k up the movie.’ Everybody knew I would get arrested at some point, but I gave him my word that I would finish the movie.”A day after he wrapped up the shoot and on the 364th day of being on the run, Buddy Duress was arrested. However, he was unbothered as he thought his escape from the law landed him the opportunity to become a movie star.“I sat in jail saying, ‘I did a movie!’ If I went into the program, I probably would have got out, relapsed and done the same sh*t all over again. My wrong decision resulted in the most positive thing I've ever done,” he told The Post.When Heaven Knows What premiered at the New York Film Festival, Buddy Duress was serving time at Rikers Island. However, once he was out, he worked on Safdie Brothers’ Good Time, followed by Dustin Guy Defa’s 2017 film, Person to Person, sharing the screen with the legendary Michael Cera.Duress recalled during the interview with the New York Post that Defa offered him the role when he was still behind bars and urged him to refuse a haircut, for which he was later sent into solitary confinement.The success of both films temporarily grounded Buddy Duress, who had told the publication at the time:“I used to steal anything that wasn’t nailed down. No more, though. I won’t even steal a candy bar. No more drugs, no more partying. That sh*t is for the birds. This is the time for me to stay focused, do what I have to do and man up.”Regardless, he was arrested twice in 2019 while filming for Cameron Van Hoy’s crime thriller, Flinch, which was released in 2021. The first was for threatening to burn down his mother’s house, and the second was for third-degree grand larceny (for robbing Santander Bank in Queens). Both times, his director bailed him out.During the latter stint, Buddy Duress fell from an elevated subway platform while trying to evade the police. He later woke up in the hospital with a head injury, skull fracture, and broken knees, and spent six weeks being handcuffed in bed.Buddy Duress was re-arrested and sent back to Rikers Island for menacing and criminal possession of a controlled substance and brass knuckles, from a prior charge. His mother, Jo Anne, also turned him in to the authorities for allegedly forging her signature and stealing a check worth $3,000.She later told The Post she was tired of him calling for money in the middle of the night to buy drugs. Her son, in turn, told the outlet that he didn’t blame his mom as he was “not easy to live with.”Over the years, he also appeared in other projects, including The Mountain, The Great Darkened Days, and 86’d in 2018. Two years later, he acted in short films, Skull and Beware of Dog, followed by PVT Chat a year later. Duress also played a cameo on the 2022 coming-of-age black comedy Funny Pages.In November 2023, Duress succumbed to a drug cocktail/ heroin overdose, which induced a cardiac arrest at his home in Astoria, Queens. He was 38. His brother, Christopher Stathis, announced the death in February 2024 via a statement to PEOPLE.Buddy Duress and Safdie Brothers with Build Presents The Cast Of "Good Time" - Source: GettyLast year, Buddy Duress’ final film, Mass State Lottery, was posthumously released. It was directed by Jay Karales, who wrote in his tribute tweet:“This man was an absolute treasure. Without a doubt, Buddy Duress was one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met, and his stories were unrivalled.”Karales further told PEOPLE that Buddy’s death was a “tragic and frustrating loss of visceral talent.”About working with Duress on his film, Cameron Van Hoy also shared in a statement with the outlet in the wake of the actor’s demise:“Buddy was pure electricity on screen. Working with him was one of the great adventures of my life. He was a kind person who loved making films. Despite any troubles he was going through in life, he somehow managed to put them aside when it came time to work. We grew quite close after the production of our film, Flinch. I'm heartbroken that his life came to an end as it did.”It remains unclear whether Buddy Duress ever faced any consequences for exposing himself to his 17-year-old female co-star on the sets of Good Time. However, a close source told Page Six Hollywood that Josh Safdie was unaffected and kept watching “the action unfold on his monitor” as the cameras continued to roll.Meanwhile, Benny Safdie held the boom mic and stood in the corner. It was seemingly clear that his elder brother was in charge. However, the controversial scene was edited out of the final A24 movie.Notably, Josh Safdie blamed Sebastian Bear-McClard for hiring a minor for the intimate role. The latter, however, denied accountability, citing that he was unaware of her age, despite finding her on Instagram and hiring her.The Safdie Brothers eventually cut ties with their A24 partner Bear-McClard and later with each other. Josh continues to be a solo director, while Benny is an actor-filmmaker who often collaborates with directors like Nathan Fielder for the film, The Curse.Now, Josh’s 2025 film, Marty Supreme, starring Timothee Chalamet, has earned nine Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Actor. As for Benny’s The Smashing Machine, it was nominated in one category, Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt in pivotal roles.