Scott Eastwood has opened up again about the charged environment on the set of the 2014 war movie Fury, including a confrontation with Shia LaBeouf that nearly turned physical.
Set during the Second World War, the film centered on a Sherman tank unit commanded by Brad Pitt’s hardened officer Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier. The cast also featured Eastwood, LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña, and Logan Lerman. Directed by David Ayer, the film became a commercial success, earning $211.8 million at the worldwide box office.
To help the actors feel like a real crew before filming began, director David Ayer reportedly put them through rough bonding exercises including sparring and fighting with each other during rehearsals. Ayer described these as trust-building exercises and bonding activities meant to create the kind of tension and camaraderie expected from soldiers in combat. The cast also underwent a literal boot camp that left them physically exhausted but deeply bonded.
Even before the clash between them, Eastwood said LaBeouf’s preparation for the film had already made a strong impression on him.
In a recent appearance on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Eastwood reflected on the production and claimed Pitt had to intervene when tempers rose between him and LaBeouf.
Eastwood said LaBeouf went to extreme lengths for the part, including removing a tooth and injuring himself. According to co-star Logan Lerman, LaBeouf cut his own face multiple times because he felt the makeup-applied scars did not look realistic, and he kept reopening these wounds throughout filming. He also avoided bathing for extended periods to better embody the gritty realities of a wartime soldier.
He said: “I remember thinking, ‘Okay, this guy’s crazy. I’m just going to keep clear from this guy’.”
The argument apparently started over a scene in which Eastwood’s character spat tobacco onto the tank, something he said had been clearly included in the screenplay.
According to Eastwood, LaBeouf challenged him over it.
He said: “One day, he was having an episode and, you know, thought that I shouldn’t be spitting tobacco on the tank…which was in the script.”
Eastwood said the situation escalated to the point where he snapped back at his co-star.
He said: “Hey, f**k you. Stop pulling your s**t… I’m going to whoop your ass.”
He went on to say LaBeouf then “got, you know, froggy,” before others moved in to stop things from worsening, with Pitt helping to separate them.
Eastwood suggested the incident took place roughly midway through shooting and said tensions around LaBeouf were not limited to that single moment.
He said: “Everyone had moments with Shia that were, I think at one point going to come to blows or not.”
While Eastwood criticized the conduct, he also admitted there can be a difficult tension between disruptive behavior and compelling performances.
He described LaBeouf as “clearly tormented,” but also said his work on screen was “magnetic.”
Still, Eastwood made clear that strong acting does not justify creating a hostile set.
He said: “Bad behavior is bad behavior…It’s like, this is a place of work.”
He added: “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.”
Pitt has previously spoken about the same misunderstanding, explaining that he and LaBeouf originally thought Eastwood was being careless with the tank before realizing the moment had been scripted all along.
That only became obvious after they went back and checked the script. Pitt recalled that during the scene, he and LaBeouf were stationed in the tank’s turrets while Eastwood was spitting chewing tobacco on the back of the tank. Believing it was disrespectful to their shared space, both men had the same reaction initially.
Pitt said: “He was just doing as instructed in the script! So we were the k**bs in the end.”