Steve Buscemi stepped in as a “vicious fight” broke out in Ireland and prevented it from escalating further, according to local media.
The Hollywood actor, known for roles in Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski and Boardwalk Empire, was spotted in Dalkey over the weekend, a seaside resort in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County southeast of Dublin. Buscemi is in the Irish capital to film the upcoming season of Tim Burton’s popular Netflix series Wednesday.
A diner named Oisín Heavey claims to have seen the star eating at Bubba’s Fish Market on Saturday evening, according to the Irish Independent. According to Heavey, when Buscemi left the restaurant, he came across a fight that was taking place outside as a large crowd looked on.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Buscemi for comment on Monday.
“When we went outside, there was actually a very vicious fight going on, and that’s what everybody was looking at,” Heavey told the publication.
Steve Buscemi on June 12, 2022, in New York City. The actor stepped in as a “vicious fight” broke out in Ireland.
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
“Steve Buscemi was kind of standing there completely unnoticed. He was very close to it, but he held himself back from breaking it up. He stood over the guy on the ground for a few seconds, and the fight naturally broke up after that.
“Some people said he broke up the fight, but he didn’t. He tried to help, which is more than most people would do.”
When the fight eventually ended, Buscemi walked away. Heavey said the actor, who sat at the table beside him and his wife for 90 minutes, was “nice, friendly, and engaging.”
The heavily celebrated actor is playing the new head teacher of Nevermore Academy, Barry Dort, in Wednesday. He is taking over from Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie, who played Head Teacher Larissa Weems.
The show relocated production from Romania to Ireland for the second season and will be released on Netflix in 2025.
On May 8, Buscemi was assaulted in broad daylight while walking through Kips Bay in Midtown Manhattan, according to the New York Post. The actor sustained damage to his left eye and was taken to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for bruising, swelling, and bleeding.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city. He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of New York,” Buscemi’s publicist said in a statement.
Fans of the New York native were furious and took to X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the news broke, resulting in the actor trending on the social media platform.
The New York Police Department released an image of the alleged attacker, a bearded man who was wearing a baseball cap, a blue T-shirt and black sweatpants at the time the assault took place. Police charged a 50-year-old unhoused man with second-degree assault on May 17, The Guardian reported.
Buscemi—who lives in Brooklyn—is beloved in New York and was given the key to the city in 2021.
From 1980 to 1984, he was a New York City firefighter with Engine Company No. 55. After the 9/11 attacks in the city, he joined his former fire company to volunteer, working 12-hour shifts as he helped the city.
