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Buddy Duress, the actor who appeared in two Safdie Brothers films including 2017’s Good Time starring Robert Pattinson, died last November of what his brother said this week was “cardiac arrest from a drug cocktail.” Duress was 38.

Duress’ death was announced on social media last week by director Jay Karales, whose upcoming film Mass State Lottery features Duress. The cause of death was announced yesterday to People by the actor’s brother Christopher Stathis (Duress was born Michael C. Stathis).

“This man was an absolute treasure,” Karales, known professionally as LowRes Wünderbred, wrote. “Without a doubt, Buddy Duress was one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met and his stories were unrivaled. I remember seeing him in Good Time in 2017 and saying, ‘That is what the future of acting needs to be. That guy.’ He brought a certain authenticity and charisma to the screen that you just don’t see anymore.

Buddy Duress has sadly passed away.

The actor, who was best known for his roles in Good Time and Heavens Knows What, died of “cardiac arrest from a drug cocktail” in November 2023, his brother Christopher Stathis shared with People on Tuesday (February 27).

Keep reading to find out more…Buddy was born Michael C. Stathis in Queens, New York in May 1985. He made his acting debut in Josh and Benny Safdie’s 2014 film Heaven Knows What.

He then teamed up with the Safdie brothers again for the 2017 movie Good Time where he played a drug dealer who partners with Robert Pattinson‘s character as the attempt to retrieve a Sprite bottle containing acid.

Buddy also appeared in several other movies including Person to Person, Beware of Dog, and Funny Pages. He has two more projects – Skull and Mass State Lottery – scheduled to be released later this year.

Buddy is survived by...

Buddy Duress (né Michael C. Stathis), who starred alongside Robert Pattinson in the Safdie brothers’ 2017 crime thriller “Good Time,” has died. He was 38.

Duress’ brother Christopher Stathis revealed to People on Tuesday that the actor died in November 2023 of “cardiac arrest from a drug cocktail.”

Duress was born in Queens, New York, in May 1985. He made his acting debut in Josh and Benny Safdie’s 2014 film “Heaven Knows What,” which also stars Caleb Landry Jones and Arielle Holmes. In “Good Time,” Duress portrayed Ray, a drug dealer who becomes Connie Nikas’ (Pattinson) partner in crime as the two attempt to retrieve a Sprite bottle containing liquid LSD.

Along with “Heaven Knows What” and “Good Time,” Duress worked on such films as “Person to Person” (2017), “The Great Darkened Days” (2018), “Beware of Dog” (2020), “Pvt Chat” (2020), “Flinch” (2021) and “Funny Pages” (2022). Duress has two more unreleased projects: a short film titled “Skull” and Jay...

Freestyle Dm has released an official trailer for an indie film titled Beware of Dog, a Russian drama that premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival last year. The film tells the story of three different young adults struggling with their mental health problems in their cities - Moscow, Berlin, NYC. Alienated in politically-ambiguous Moscow, a young woman deals with Ocd, while her cousin in Berlin tries to build a romantic relationship ignoring her own condition. In New York City, a heartbroken boxer struggles with addiction, self worth and online anxiety, which connects all of these characters. Starring Marina Vasileva, Paula Knüpling, and Buddy Duress. Early reviews praise the film, saying "Bedzhanova crafted a narrative that examines the many facets of mental illness in a way that never feels trite or exploitative." Take a look below. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Nadia Bedzhanova's Beware of Dog, direct from YouTube...