The Safdie Brothers' Split Allegedly Stemmed From a Teenage Sex Scene Incident

The Safdie Brothers, Josh and Benny, are the directing team behind Uncut Gems, Good Time, and Daddy Longlegs. Their films are often gritty, fast-paced, and intense, creating a chaotic atmosphere. And they're known for unconventional casting choices, often pairing famous actors with inexperienced actors or people who have literally never acted before.

The latter practice came back to bite them. When the Safdie Brothers went their separate ways to work on different creative projects in 2023, they said they had had an amicable split. However, based on reporting from Page Six, the creative untangling actually stemmed from a darker place. The brothers' casting choices resulted in a damaging incident that happened while they were filming Good Time. This was allegedly the real reason for their split.

In 2024, Benny told Variety that he and his brother going their separate ways was "a natural progression of what we each want to explore." He said, "I will direct on my own, and I will explore things that I want to explore. I want that freedom right now in my life."

However, according to Page Six, the real reason for their breakup was much darker.

Sources said that the brothers split in 2023 after Benny learned the "full scope" of a sex scene incident that occurred while the brothers were filming Good Time in 2017. A 17-year-old girl was allegedly cast to play a prostitute in the film, and she was put in a scene with nudity and had to "simulate sex" with her scene partner.

Her scene partner, Buddy Durress, was not a trained actor. He had just been released from prison and had a past of drug charges, weapons violations, and motor vehicle theft.

While working on the scene, Buddy pulled down his pants, exposing himself. He reportedly asked the 17-year-old if "he could stick it in" while filming.

Josh, who sources say was the decision-maker on set, was watching the actors on a monitor as Benny was holding the boom mic. A source told Page Six, "Any director who had seen that should have yelled ‘Cut!’ and stopped the scene, but Josh let it continue."

Three different sources said that Josh learned about the girl's age the day of shooting, after the scene was shot. Benny learned about the actor's age in July 2022, when the brothers' producing partner Sebastian “Sebo” Bear-McClard was going through a messy divorce with actor Emily Ratajkowski. Bear-McClard had apparently become romantically involved with the 17-year-old actor after production. He threatened to expose the sex scene incident during the tense divorce.

Josh blamed Bear-McClard for hiring a minor, but Bear-McClard argued that he wasn't responsible. Sources said that he wasn't present as the sex scene was being filmed.

The Safdie Brothers cut ties with Bear-McClard. A source that worked with them commented, "You don’t all of a sudden develop a moral conscience six years later. Like that’s not how it works."

Josh and Benny worked together for nine more months before Benny officially called it quits.