Steven Spielberg’s fourth Indiana Jones film cast one actor famous for his art film roles, but the director may never call him back for another work. Shia LaBeouf publicly bashed Spielberg for the film, which is one among the many controversies surrounding him. However, Brad Pitt has only great things to say about the Transformers actor.
Pitt and LaBeouf starred together in the World War II film, Fury, where Pitt recognized the true talent of the actor. However, the rest of the co-stars didn’t have the same opinion on the actor. LaBeouf’s method acting antics allegedly put other actors in distress.
Brad Pitt Praised Shia LaBeouf After Acting With Him In Fury
Shia LaBeouf took method acting to extreme levels in Fury. He allegedly removed one of his teeth and cut himself on the face to maintain the authenticity of his character. It was also reported that the actor would go on for days without bathing to portray the cramped conditions in which the soldiers had to reside.
Despite having to break off a fight between the Disturbia actor and co-star Scott Eastwood, Brad Pitt has a high opinion of LaBeouf. The Fight Club actor shared with British GQ that he loved working with LaBeouf. He shared that the Pieces of a Woman actor was one of the best actors he had ever seen. He appreciated the actor’s commitment to the role in Fury. Pitt told GQ:
Oh, I love this boy. He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever seen. He’s full-on commitment, man. He’s living it like no one else, let me tell you. I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great actors. He’s one of the best I’ve seen.
Pitt shared that the altercation between LaBeouf and Eastwood was a misunderstanding. Eastwood allegedly spat juice on the back of the tank, which the cast considered their home. Pitt admitted that he too felt angry but LaBeouf exchanged some words with the Overdrive actor. He had to get involved before things escalated between them.
Eastwood did not appreciate LaBeouf’s behavior on set and shared with Insider that the method acting shouldn’t affect how the actor treated his co-stars. Eastwood shared, “It should always enhance the production, not take away and put people in a situation where it’s a shitty work environment.” (via Insider).
Steven Spielberg May Never Work With Shia LaBeouf After His Comments
Steven Spielberg was once Shia LaBeouf’s idol but the actor bashed him after the critical failure of Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. LaBeouf wasn’t satisfied with the end product and shared with the LA Times that Spielberg wouldn’t mind him criticizing the film. The actor shared:
I’ll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I’m not out of line.
He once again bashed Spielberg during an interview with Variety, sharing that he realized that he was not meeting the Spielberg he dreamt of during the film. He shared that the Jaws director was less a director and more of a company when he met him. LaBeouf told Variety:
You get there, and you realize you’re not meeting the Spielberg you dream of. You’re meeting a different Spielberg… He’s less a director than he is a f***ing company.
Interestingly, Spielberg has never worked with Brad Pitt either, which may make his opinion of the actor irrelevant to the Bridge of Spies director.
Fury is now available to watch on Netflix and MGM+ as of today.
