Unfortunately, Robert Pattinson’s Good Time co-star Buddy Duress passed away last year at the age of 38. After gaining worldwide recognition with his role as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga, Pattinson switched to independent films which also gained him critical acclaim. One of these films was the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time.
Buddy Duress was a frequent collaborator of the Safdie Brothers and was best known for his roles in movies like 2017’s Good Time, Heaven Knows What, and Person to Person. He had gotten into quite some legal troubles before his unfortunate demise.
Buddy Duress’ Younger Brother Revealed How the Actor Passed Away
Buddy Duress, born Michael C. Stathis, did not make his film debut until 2014 when he starred in Heaven Knows What. He was on the run from law when he was discovered by Josh Safdie. While his drug issues persisted throughout his life, he managed to make a significant name as an actor.
On Tuesday, his younger brother Christopher Stathis revealed to PEOPLE that Duress passed away from “cardiac arrest from a drug cocktail”.
Duress has two unreleased projects, one of them is a short named Skull, and another feature Mass State Lottery directed by Jay Karales. The latter of these is set for release later this year. Karales appreciated the actor while talking to PEOPLE, saying:
“Buddy Duress was a once in a lifetime charismatic actor and a genuinely humble man that left an impression on everyone he met. I was extremely fortunate to be able to direct him and get to know him off-set during our time shooting Mass State Lottery.”
The director went on to say that Duress was irreplaceable as an actor and so it is a tragic loss of talent. He also said that the Funny Pages actor had become the John Cazale of this generation.
Buddy Duress Once Shared How He Met Josh Safdie
Buddy Duress shared his first meeting with Josh Safdie in 2013 after his release from Rikers Island in New York City for drug charges. The actor met Safdie through a mutual friend and landed the role in Heaven Knows What when he was on the run after skipping out on a drug in-patient program. However, he was eventually caught by the police.
In an interview with 2017 SSense interview, Duress said:
“You know, I still look back at it. If I had went to that program, I wouldn’t have been in Heaven Knows What, and I probably wouldn’t be an actor right now. That’s the honest truth. I wouldn’t.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, after his release from there, the Safdie Brothers asked him to write a journal about his time in prison. They adapted his stories from that journal into the script of Robert Pattinson starrer Good Time.
