Tom Hardy Gets Cheeky with Jessica Chastain in Cannes

By Mary Green

05/31/2012 at 05:35 PM EDT

They were one of the hottest casts to walk the red carpet this year in Cannes. The stars of the western crime drama Lawless gathered for a special PEOPLE shoot, right after their big moment on the steps of the Palais de Festivals on May 19.

Shot steps from the Palais at the Baoli Beach Club before their after-party, the cast includes Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Shia LaBeouf (who brought his mother as his date), Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hardy and Dane DeHaan.

The close-knit cast toasted each other and Chastain, a red carpet mainstay this year, who was on the cover of French magazine Gala. When Hardy held up the magazine vertically, pretending that Chastain was a centerfold, the group burst out laughing.

Festival veteran Wasikowska says, "It's always so great here. It's like Hollywood on overload!"



The violent film got nods from critics, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it "A gritty and suspenseful bootlegger tale based on real-life Prohibition figures," and Variety adding, "for those with a strong stomach for onscreen violence, it will hit the spot."

Lawless hits theaters August 29.

For more of PEOPLE's exclusive, eight-page Cannes photo portfolio – including shots of Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt and Heidi Klum kicking back on the glamorous French Riviera – pick up new issue, on newsstands now