Fury - Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf and Michael Pena interview

LOGAN Lerman, Shia LaBeouf and Michael Pena talk about some of their experiences of shooting World War II tank drama Fury at a press conference held to mark the closing of the 2014 London Film Festival.

Q. Logan, your character goes through the same kind of journey as the audience, doesn’t he?
Logan Lerman: Yeah. He does. He is kind of the eyes into this world, into their world, and their relationship and family dynamic.

Q. Shia, is it fair to say you really threw yourself into this role [he reportedly didn’t wash for the entire shoot and extracted a tooth] – you still have the scars. What was it about the character and this project that drew you in so much?
Shia LaBeouf: I think we all committed the same. I just had more time because I wasn’t working in the beginning.

Q. So that was it – it was just a time thing?
Shia LaBeouf: Yeah, that was it… Everyone was committed equally.

Q. Michael, you’ve worked with David Ayer before [on End of Watch], so what was he like to come back and work for again?
Michael Pena: Well, working with David is like getting a root canal. You know it’s going to suck so you have to just prepare for it as best you can [laughs].

David Ayer: I’m taking applications now, by the way.

Q. Logan, how was your relationship with Brad off-camera? It can be very thorny on-screen but he also emerges as something of a father figure…
Logan Lerman: Well, during pre-production we became very close. We got to know each other very well and then we started the movie and it was almost starting a new relationship. I would say there was a lot of distance out of respect. We emulated our relationships in the movie in a way, which meant there was a lot of conflict. So, I guess there was a lot of conflict on-set. I guess I was the new guy and the liability and that’s the way I was treated [laughs].

Q. Was this the most demanding thing you’ve ever done as an actor?
Logan Lerman: Definitely the most demanding. It was the most committed project, in terms of. I could say that I was looking for a really good challenge and after reading the script it was pretty much this or nothing. I pretty much dedicated all of last year to this project, as did everybody else. But that’s what David [Ayer] was looking for. But in doing that, we had great time to do research on a very detailed level and really get to know one another, which is the most important aspect to pre-production – getting to know the people you’re working with on a very personal level, and building that comfort. So, it was definitely the most dedicated process I’ve ever experienced.

Q. So, did you enjoy the experience of making the film? Or is that the wrong word?
Shia LaBeouf: Oh yeah, this has been the most rewarding, incredible experience of my life – both in work and in life. It was extremely rewarding.