Sunday, August 17, 2025

'Caught' celebrating: Why Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Darren Aronofsky were at the Double Down Saloon last night

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Early this morning, there was a little "Caught Stealing" reunion at the Double Down Saloon on Avenue A. 

Last fall, the place was transformed into Paul's Bar while crews filmed scenes for Darren Aronofsky's upcoming crime thriller. In the film, the lead character Hank — played by Austin Butler — works as a bartender there. 

There had already been some buzz among Double Down regulars that a special guest might show, so I stopped by to check it out.

Anyway, fittingly, the Double Down was the setting for Butler's 34th birthday celebration, where, around 12:30 a.m., he arrived with Aronofsky, co-star Zoë Kravitz, and a handful of friends and family.
Filmmaker Ari Aster was among the bday wishers...
Despite those in attendance, the cake was the star. Empire Cake crafted a frighteningly realistic cat cake of "Caught Stealing" co-star Tonic, who plays Bud — the feline who inadvertently immerses Hank into the criminal underworld. (BTW, you may recall Tonic's excellent turn in the 2019 version of "Pet Sematary.")
The "Caught Stealing" crew didn't linger too long at Double Down — more stops were waiting on their night/early morning out. 

The movie, filmed in part in the East Village, opens on Aug. 29.
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1 comment:

  1. John PenleyAugust 18, 2025 at 5:14 AM

    The DD was my favorite bar when I lived around the corner on E 3rd. St. Glad to see it is still rockin out. I must admit that I did a few stimulants in their bathroom which they did not know about because a dealer of high quality blow was there pretty much every weekend.

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