David Ayer’s Fury arguably remains memorable not only for its intense, war-driven narrative but also because of the interactions amongst its cast members. Since the film’s release in 2014, a lot has been said about the on-set dynamic between Scott Eastwood and Shia LaBeouf. Eastwood’s been candid about working with LaBeouf and how the two even got into a tiff that had to be broken up by Brad Pitt. Now, Eastwood is opening up more about being on the outs with LaBeouf when they were filming the period piece.
While LaBeouf has continued to work in recent years while dealing with various controversies, a host of his personal problems have also received considerable attention. Sobriety and addiction are among the problems the former Disney Channel star has faced and, on his part, he’s acknowledged that and more during interviews. When Eastwood appeared on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast (as can be seen on YouTube), he mentioned LaBeouf’s issues while discussing Fury:
Look, Shia is clearly tormented and maybe [has] got, you know, some some stuff going on, and…. It was tough. There was sort of an incident that happened that's been... I've talked about it. Brad Pitt sort of broke up a little tense moment….
Eastwood, who played Sgt. Miles in the war drama, also went on to discuss the extreme lengths LaBeouf went to in order to prepare for his performance as tank gunner Boyd “Bible” Swan. As part of that, he apparently “pulled out his tooth” and then “cut himself” in order to make his character’s wounds look more realistic. Eastwood recalled what he thought upon seeing how his co-star was conducting himself:
I remember thinking, ‘Okay, this guy's crazy. I'm just going to keep clear from this guy ‘cause I don't really play this game.’ This is not — you go and do that, but there's plenty of ways to do a performance in a movie and be professional also, right?
The Suicide Squad alum also recalled LaBeouf having an “episode” one day on set, as he apparently took issue with Eastwood spitting tobacco on one of the tanks, as called for by the script. Eastwood also claimed that “everyone had moments with Shia” on set and, as previously revealed, Pitt and LaBeouf even punched each other amid filming. As for Scott Eastwood, he further emphasized why he took issue with his actions:
When bad behavior is bad behavior, this is a place of work. The crew got to go home. Everyone wants to be happy. People deserve to be respected. Doesn't matter if you're picking up a piece of trash or if you're saying the lines or if you're holding the camera. Everybody has the same respect, decency. So it's like, when you start infringing on that as a place of work, that's when it gets tough for me, ‘cause I'm like, ‘Beat it. No one’s got tolerance for that.’
Other than Fury, it’s also been said that LaBeouf came to blows with Tom Hardy while they were filming the 2012 film Lawless. The film’s director, John Hillcoat, previously recalled the situation becoming so heated that both actors eventually had to be “restrained.” And, in real life, Shia LaBeouf was charged with three counts of simple battery after being arrested in New Orleans back in February. He was eventually given two years of probation as well as a six-month suspended prison sentence.
Scott Eastwood definitely appears to be cognizant of the issues Shia LaBeouf has, though he also admitted during the interview that the performance he ended up giving was “magnetic.” Nevertheless, based on this conversation, I’m still not sure Eastwood would be keen on working with LaBeouf again.
