Splitting from a creative partner is not always easy, but for Joshua and Benny Safdie, it’s all good. They claim it is the best for both of them as the breakup would allow them to explore other areas of filmmaking that they have not yet touched upon.
The Safdie brothers were known for their works on Uncut Gems and Good Time, and while they had a really productive career working together, it was probably time to try other fields, such as acting. This, however, brought fans speculating that they may have a rift.
Benny Safdie Reveals Amicable Split From Brother Joshua
Benny Safdie spoke with Variety and clarified that there was no tension or bad blood between him and his brother Joshua. The decision was mutual, and so far, it has proven beneficial for both of them, especially for Benny who dipped his toes in acting.
“It’s a natural progression of what we each want to explore. 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.”
In another conversation with GQ, the Oppenheimer star admitted that while they share a lot of creative ideas, there were some things that they don’t agree with which encouraged them to tread their own paths and break away from the Safdie brothers label.
“We work on a lot of documentaries, and there’s just a constant flow of ideas. It just felt like, OK, there’s things that I want to explore that don’t necessarily align right now with Josh. So it’s a divide-and-conquer mentality.”
The younger brother also noted that Joshua can do whatever story he wants, and the same goes for himself. From this point of view, the split was a natural progression as they generated more diverse ideas.
With this news, fans would be disappointed to know that the much-awaited sequel to Uncut Gems is currently “on pause”. The movie starred Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, and Eric Bogosian. When asked if he will helm another film with his brother, Benny has no idea.
Benny Safdie On Pursuing Acting
With Benny Safdie finally delving into acting, he revealed getting into his character and feeling all the emotions as much as possible. For the filmmaker, the field allows him to explore certain aspects of himself that he has not yet encountered in real life. He said in the same interview with GQ:
“In a weird way, there’s nothing better than being able to do that in front of people because it’s usually a very private moment that you’re ashamed of and you don’t want to show anybody. But to actually get the opportunity to show people what it’s like when you’re really sad…”
Apart from directing movies and acting, Safdie dreamed of becoming a physicist, a profession he finally achieved when he joined Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. He played Edward Teller, a Hungarian theoretical physicist who had a significant part in the film.
It seems that the decision to chase separate creative pursuits proved advantageous to the brothers as Joshua is also working on a new Adam Sandler project.
