With “Marty Supreme” having firmly positioned Timothée Chalamet to win the Oscar for best actor, what a coincidence that a recent California Post cover story dusted up an old narrative about Josh and Benny Safdie’s split.
The drama stems from a 2017 incident on the set of “Good Time,” involving alleged misconduct by actor Buddy Duress toward a 17-year-old actress. The story suggested Josh was aware of her age while filming, and that Benny only learned of it later—portrayed as the “final straw” prompting the brothers’ professional separation.
Now here’s THR, with multiple insiders sourced, raising eyebrows at the timing and framing of the report, especially as it coincides with awards season and comes just after another critical story in the Daily Mail about “Marty Supreme.” The latter piece highlighted objections from the family of late table-tennis champion Marty Reisman, claiming the film profited from his life without approval. An anonymous email amplifying these critiques circulated to journalists, further fueling speculation that the negative coverage may be coordinated.
THR’s insiders, speaking off the record, have likened the situation to an “old-school Weinstein Company-style smear campaign.” The potential impact on “Marty Supreme”’s awards trajectory remains uncertain, though the timing of these stories has “sparked intense conversation” in Hollywood circles.
As one insider put it: “Here we go again.”
Now, with full awareness that really the only Oscar “Marty” has a real shot at winning is best actor, for which Chalamet is the front-runner, the question on everybody’s mind is: which studio and/or publicist started this smear campaign? One look at who Chalamet is up against does narrow down the potential culprit to just a handful of suspects.
If Chalamet were to lose the Oscar, many point to either Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) or Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”) taking over as the winner. Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) doesn’t stand much of a chance, and Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”)—although we cannot totally count him out—already won by being nominated.
What we’re left with is a best actor race that’s tightening by the day, and with voting only set to begin on February 26, who knows what else might come out between now and then to shake up the race.