EXCLUSIVE: 'Lawless' Stars Tom Hardy And Guy Pearce Say It's All About The Script, The Money – And Beating Brad Pitt

Lawless co-stars Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce have no qualms discussing their priorities when picking movie roles. “It’s a number of things. It’s the big three, usually, isn’t it? It’s the character, the script, and the director,” Pearce told Uinterview at the Cannes Film Festival. “Money! Extra zeroes,” Hardy joked. Directed by John Hillcoat and featuring an all-star cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman, Lawless is a film about the infamous Bondurant brothers who led a bootlegging operation in Depression-era Virginia — wherein Hardy plays Forrest Bondurant and Pearce suits up as his nemesis Special Agent Charlie Rakes.

But Pearce suggests that there may be something to Hardy’s pragmatic approach. “Sometimes it’s easier [to decide] than others. I’ll go backwards and forwards on things, or sometimes I’ll be really close to saying yes, and I’ll tell them that I’m about to say yes, and then I say, ‘Actually, no. I’ve thought about this for two months now, and it’s just not for me. I’m sorry,’” Pearce explains. When asked if he would really do that to someone, Hardy came to his defense. “Of course, mate. You’re not doing it to a person, you’re weighing your options. You’re here to live,” Hardy said, adding that sometimes the tables can also turn. "That’s why we have a crew of lawyers. The conversation starts, and then they could stop it with you," Hardy said. "Or they’ll say, ‘Actually, we couldn’t get the funding with you, so we’re actually gonna go to Brad [Pitt] now," Pearce added.

There are perks to the business too, though, they admit. Pearce acknowledges the privilege of working with multi-talented screenwriter Nick Cave, whom he describes as “no-bulls–t kind of guy,” and rising star Hardy confesses that it’s “nice to know that your fridge is full when you go home.”

Lawless hits U.S. cinemas at the end of August.

Read the full interview here:

Uinterview | U Q&A: 'Lawless' Actors Tom Hardy And Guy Pearce