Benny Safdie’s Biggest On-Set Frustration: Why Actors Drive Him Crazy
Benny Safdie opens up about his biggest annoyance with actors, shares behind-the-scenes stories from his film and TV work, and teases what’s next for the Safdie brothers.
2025 marked a milestone year for the Safdie brothers. Josh Safdie helmed the Oscar- buzzed ping-pong drama Marty Supreme, while Benny Safdie released The Smashing Machine, a film that’s already generating awards chatter for next March. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s performance in Benny’s MMA feature is drawing particular attention, and Benny himself is no stranger to acting, having appeared in Christopher Nolan ’s Oppenheimer in 2023, the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza.
Given his experience both behind and in front of the camera, it ’s no surprise Benny has strong opinions about actors. In a recent interview with GQ, he revealed his biggest pet peeve:
“I hate it when people don’t eat (on camera). It destroys me.”
He’s so committed to authenticity that during a dinner scene in Anderson’s 2021 film, he ate food in every single take.
“I don’t know how many tiramisus I ate, but it must have been 30.”
He brought the same dedication to The Curse, his show with Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone, recalling,
“60 chips in one take, and we must have had nine takes…”
Safdie Brothers’ Signature Films and Solo Ventures
If you haven’t yet watched the two movies that first put the Safdie brothers on the map—2017’s Good Time and 2019’s Uncut Gems—add them to your must-see list for 2026. Good Time features a gripping performance from Robert Pattinson, while Uncut Gems showcases Adam Sandler in a career-defining role, delivering relentless tension from start to finish.
After these successes, the brothers decided to pursue separate projects. Josh took on Marty Supreme and an Adam Sandler Netflix special, while Benny focused on his own films. Now, after nearly seven years apart, they’re rumored to be reuniting for a new, untitled movie with Sandler. Benny explained their decision to take a break in an interview with Esquire:
“We had started out making movies separately, in college. And then we were always working towards something, and when we reached that place, it was almost like, ‘Oh, well, what now?’ Then it was like, ‘I’m interested in this,’ and ‘I’m interested in this,’ and then you want to figure that out. It just felt like a continuation of a process.”
Upcoming Projects and New Roles
Looking ahead, Benny is set to return to acting in another Christopher Nolan film, the action- packed epic The Odyssey, joining a star-studded cast. He’ll also voice Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to the 2023 hit featuring Chris Pratt. Thankfully, since it’s animated, he won’t have to worry about actors refusing to eat on camera this time.
Benny isn’t stepping away from directing, either. He’s taking the reins on the offbeat Lizard Musi, starring Dwayne Johnson. The story follows a young boy who, after seeing a group of lizard musicians on late-night TV, sets out to find them. With so many projects on the horizon, Benny Safdie’s creative energy shows no signs of slowing down.