Robert Pattinson’s involvement in movie Good Time gave independent filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie access to the resources needed to shoot aerial shots and pay for more staff.
The 31-year-old is winning rave reviews for his role in the movie, which tells the tale of a criminal from Queens, New York, who tries to reconnect with his brother, played by filmmaker Benny, after a stint in prison – leading to disastrous results.
And it was the Twilight star who sought out the indie directors after watching the brothers’ film Heaven Knows What.
“Rob (Pattinson) had a desire to get deep with a project and he looked to us and felt some type of connection to us,” Josh told Business Insider. “Immediately it changed our budget, it changed everything.”
While Robert was keen to be involved in a credible project, his A-list status changed the game for the brothers, giving them access to the type of resources reserved for mainstream films.
His involvement meant they could pay for filming permits – the brothers previously often “stole” shots around New York City when shooting movies as they didn’t have the budget to pay for them – as well as paying for an assistant director and a script supervisor, which they didn’t have on previous movies, and allowing them the ability to use helicopters to get aerial shots.
“Someone asked us after Daddy Longlegs,‘What would you do with more money?’ and we were like, ‘We would make a bigger paper tornado,’” Benny told Business Insider. “We just want more and more.”
The filmmakers believe they have delivered a quality movie that showcases not just Rob’s talent, but also theirs as film auteurs. Since the film’s release, they’ve been fielding calls from Hollywood’s biggest stars and are keen to continue showing what they can do on a larger stage.
“Working with Rob sent a message to the industry saying we are willing to play the game,” Josh explained. “We are willing to work with the people that you guys have anointed as stars… And not only will we work with them, we’ll do it in a way that will be so satisfying to them, that other actors will want to do it. We’re seeing that, but Rob set the bar high.”
