‘Good Time’ star Buddy Duress dies aged 38
Buddy Duress, best known for his performance as Ray in the Safdie brothers’ 2017 crime thriller Good Time alongside Robert Pattinson, has passed away aged 38.
The actor, real name Michael C. Stathis, died after suffering a “cardiac arrest from a drug cocktail” last November, his younger brother Christopher Stathis stated.
Duress is survived by his mother, Jo-Anne, and younger brother, Christopher, who confirmed the news of his death to People.
The Safdie’s awarded him his first role. In 2014, he played Mike in Heaven Knows What, the semi-autobiographical adaptation of Arielle Holmes’ unpublished memoir about her time spent living homeless and dealing with a heroin addiction on the streets of New York City.
Between his two collaborations with the Safdie’s, Duress played a small part in Dustin Guy Defa’s Person to Person, but it was Good Time that announced his talent to the world. Achingly natural in front of the camera, the actor would go on to notch several further acting credits as his profile continued to rise.
Duress’ other credits include Rick Alverson’s Jeff Goldbum-fronted drama The Mountain, Maxime Giroux’s anachronistic The Great Darkened Days, Ben Hozie’s erotic drama PVT Chat, and Cameron Van Hoy’s crime story Flinch. He also appeared in Owen Kline’s coming-of-age black comedy Funny Pages saw his profile continue to rise.
Despite his undoubted talent, legal issues dogged Duress throughout his life. As Van Hoy explained to The New York Post, he missed out on the chance to audition for the project that ultimately became Pete Davidson and Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island because he behind bars.
“Buddy couldn’t do it because he was in Rikers,” the filmmaker explained, sharing how Duress was concerned he’d blown his shot just when he was starting to capture attention.
“He asked me if he could get another shot. ‘If not,’ he said, ‘I could kill myself now,'” Van Hoy continued. “He is a wildly talented actor. But he needs to focus on acting instead of hustling on the streets.”
Throughout his life, Duress spent significant time in prison for petty larceny, heroin possession, cheque forgery, and identity theft. He was also locked up when his feature film debut in Heaven Knows What premiered at the New York Film Festival.
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