One of Hollywood’s best-loved cult heroes was spotted wading in to help a stricken pubgoer amid a fight outside a south Dublin pub this past weekend.
Steve Buscemi, who is in the Irish capital to film the new season of the Netflix series Wednesday, found himself in the middle of a tense situation on Saturday night after he’d enjoyed an evening meal at Bubba’s Fish Market in the suburb of Dalkey.
The 66-year-old, known for iconic roles in films like Reservoir Dogs, Armageddon and Con Air, had just got up to leave the seafood restaurant when a row outside the neighbouring Dalkey Duck pub exploded into a violent brawl.
The actor is said to have stepped in to look after one man who was beaten and fell down on the pavement before making a swift exit.
Steve Buscemi, who is in the Irish capital to film the new season of the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’, found himself in the middle of a tense situation on Saturday night on the streets of Dublin
Buscemi is seen on the streets of Dalkey just outside the Dalkey Duck pub hours before the altercation
The Dalkey Duck pub is pictured. Buscemi had eaten a meal at a nearby restaurant moments before the fight broke out
Fellow diner Oisín Heavey explained how Buscemi was flying under the radar when the fight broke out.
‘No one at my table recognised him except for me; I’m a huge movie buff, so I knew him straight away,’ Heavey told the Irish Independent. ‘He was very nice, friendly, and engaging.’
Moments after the actor finished his meal and left the restaurant, there was a commotion on the pavement outside.
‘We could see a crowd gathering, looking up toward where he had gone, so we assumed someone had recognised him,’ Heavey said, before explaining how the horde of onlookers had in fact encircled what was reportedly a brutal fight.
‘Steve Buscemi was standing there completely unnoticed,’ the eyewitness claimed, adding that the 66-year-old did not attempt to break up the fight but sidled in to watch over one man who had been knocked to the floor.
‘He stood over the guy on the ground for a few seconds, and the fight naturally broke up after that… He tried to help, which is more than most people would do,’ Heavey said.
After the situation calmed down, Buscemi quickly left the scene, turning a corner close to the crossroads where the pub is located in Dalkey and heading off into the night.
The actor is currently in Dublin alongside fellow Hollywood star Jenna Ortega and director Tim Burton to film a new season of ‘Wednesday’, a series based on the eponymous character from the Addams Family.
Saturday’s incident unfolded just months after Buscemi himself suffered a violent attack on the streets of New York City.
Police in May arrested a homeless man suspected of punching the star as he walked along a street in Manhattan.
Clifton Williams, 50, was slapped with a felony second-degree assault charge for the assault of Buscemi, which took place minutes after he had allegedly attacked a 22-year-old man.
The NYPD tracked Williams down using surveillance footage and found him at a Brooklyn homeless shelter, his last known address, where fellow residents described him as an ‘a**hole’.
Buscemi received treatment at Bellevue Hospital for bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye following the assault.
Buscemi starred in HBO series Boardwalk Empire as protagonist Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson
Police arrested Clifton Williams after an officer recognised him as the man who punched actor Steve Buscemi in a random attack in Manhattan on May 8
Police released a surveillance image from the attack showing the suspect, Williams, wearing a dark baseball hat, blue T-shirt, black pants, and white sneakers
Clifton Williams, who allegedly assaulted Steve Buscemi, during a perp walk at 13th Precinct in New York City on May 17, 2024
‘Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,’ his publicist said in May.
‘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 NY.’
Buscemi grew up in NYC and worked as a firefighter in Brooklyn before he quit in the 1980s to pursue an acting career.
He returned to his old firehouse hours after the September 11 attacks and stayed at the World Trade Center site for days, sifting through rubble.
The award-winning actor has a career spanning four decades and is best known for his roles in HBO series Boardwalk Empire alongside films like ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’.
While working on the film Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, NC, in 2001, Buscemi was the victim of another brutal assault.
The actor intervened in a bar brawl after two local men reportedly picked a fight with his co-star Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg.
Buscemi was stabbed multiple times, above the eye and in the jaw, throat, and arm, according to police.
He miraculously escaped without any life-threatening injuries and was released from hospital after undergoing treatment.
