Tom Hardy and Shia Labeouf co-starred together in John Hillcoat’s 2012 crime drama “Lawless,” and the films rocky production left Hardy with a respect and appreciation for his co-star, whose life and career has been more tumultuous in recent years. On the set of “Lawless,” where the actors were playing bootleggers during the Prohibition era, Labeouf drank moonshine by the gallon to get into character.

The actor confirmed in a revealing Esquire profile that an on-set altercation between himself and Hardy one day led to a drunken Labeouf punching Hardy and knocking him out. The story has long been a rumor about the “Lawless” production. Hellcoat confirmed in a 2016 Reddit Ama that there was in fact a fight between the two actors that resulted in both men having to be restrained.

Fortunately, Hardy holds no hard feelings towards Labeouf. In fact, Hardy understands the tormenting acting process more than most...