Scott Eastwood recalled a near-physical confrontation with co-star Shia LaBeouf on the set of the 2014 World War II film “Fury,” saying Brad Pitt had to step in during the tense exchange. Eastwood, speaking Monday on the “Armchair Expert” podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, described LaBeouf as a “psychopath” and said the incident stemmed from a disagreement over a scripted action involving chewing tobacco.
“Look, Shia is clearly tormented and has maybe got some stuff going on. It was tough,”
Eastwood said. He recounted that LaBeouf, who was deeply immersed in method acting for his role as Boyd “Bible” Swan, objected when Eastwood’s character spat tobacco on the tank. The action was written into the script.
“One day, he was having an episode and thought I shouldn’t be spitting tobacco on the tank — which was in the script — and then I finally said enough is enough,”
Eastwood said.
“I said, ‘F–k you. Stop pulling your s–t.’ I said, ‘I’m gonna whoop your ass.’”
Eastwood, 40, said Pitt broke up the “tense moment.” He added that the dustup was not isolated.
“Everyone had moments with Shia that were, I think at one point, going to come to blows or not,”
Eastwood said.
“It’s funny. The film industry attracts psychopaths because it’s art and business and they kind of intersect.”
Eastwood, born Scott Clinton Reeves on March 21, 1986, in Monterey, California, is the son of actor and director Clint Eastwood and flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves. He was raised partly in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hawaii, graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a communications degree in 2008, and has appeared in films including “Gran Torino,” “The Longest Ride,” “Suicide Squad,” and multiple entries in the “Fast & Furious” franchise. In “Fury,” directed by David Ayer, he played Sergeant Miles, a supporting role alongside the main tank crew.
LaBeouf, born Shia Saide LaBeouf on June 11, 1986, in Los Angeles, rose to fame as a child actor on the Disney Channel series “Even Stevens” before starring in the “Transformers” films and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” He has long been known for extreme method approaches. For “Fury,” Eastwood said LaBeouf pulled out one of his own teeth and cut himself to prepare for the role of the devout gunner. LaBeouf has spoken previously about living on a forward operating base, not bathing for months, and other immersive preparations.
Pitt, born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, starred as tank commander Don “Wardaddy” Collier. The film follows a Sherman tank crew in the final weeks of the European theater of World War II. Principal photography took place primarily in the United Kingdom after the cast underwent rigorous military-style training, including time living and working in and around actual tanks.
Pitt addressed a similar incident in a 2014 British GQ interview shortly after the film’s release. He described filming a scene in which Eastwood’s character was spitting tobacco juice on the tank while the vehicle was moving. “I’m starting to get pissed off, I’m starting to get hot, because this is our home, he’s disrespecting our home, you know?” Pitt said. “So I said, in the scene with the cameras rolling, ‘You’re going to clean that shit up.’”
“Shia clocks it, and you have to understand, we’ve been through severe boot camp already, we’ve been through a lot in this tank,”
Pitt continued.
“Shia saw it and felt the same — he’s disrespecting our home. So Shia had the same reaction I did, and started having some words.”
Pitt said he intervened after the cameras were rolling to explain the situation to Eastwood. Later that day the actors checked the script and realized Eastwood had been following the written direction.
“He was just doing as instructed in the script! So we were the knobs in the end,”
Pitt said.
Eastwood had referenced the episode earlier as well. In a 2014 British GQ piece he called LaBeouf a “complete pain” in connection with the tobacco incident. In a 2022 interview with Insider promoting another project, Eastwood described the exchange as a “volatile moment that Brad Pitt ultimately got in the middle of.” He said an actor’s process should not create an uncomfortable or unprofessional work environment for others on set.
LaBeouf has faced multiple arrests over the years, including for disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and battery charges, and has spoken publicly about struggles with addiction. Representatives for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to requests for comment from outlets covering Eastwood’s latest remarks. “Fury” was released in October 2014, grossed more than $211 million worldwide, and received generally favorable reviews for its depiction of combat and the bonds among the tank crew.
Eastwood’s comments came during a wide-ranging conversation on the podcast that also touched on his upbringing, earlier career choices, and other projects. The episode was released Aug. 3, 2026.
