Over the last five years, Shia LaBeouf has been entangled with the off-screen drama of Indiana Jones. Because of his toxic behavior, LaBeouf has also been in legal trouble. He has lost all the good press around his name, and even Disney did not want him to be involved with their latest Indiana Jones outing.
The drama started two years after the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The actor who played Matt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) in the movie thought it was terrible, and he blamed everything on director Steven Spielberg, who made LaBeouf a renowned Hollywood star. LaBeouf followed lucrative partnerships with Spielberg in movies like Disturbia, Transformers, and Eagle Eye.
Although the lead actor of the movie, Harrison Ford, also called LaBeouf a “f*ucking idiot,” there are not any comments made from Spielberg till now, but he omitted LaBeouf from the fifth sequel of Indians Jones which was released this year.
Shia LaBeouf Blames Steven Spielberg For Crushing His Creative Spirit
LaBeouf believed Spielberg would be his ticket to a big-screen legacy. But he wasn’t the Steven Spielberg he had dreamt of when he met him. He realized Spielberg was in a different career phase, more like a business than a director. He started feeling like there was no room for him to grow as an actor and that he was stuck. He says:
“Spielberg’s sets are very different.”
LaBeouf continued:
“Everything has been so meticulously planned. You got to get this line out in 37 seconds. You do that for five years, you start to feel like not knowing what you’re doing for a living.”
During his recent art project of re-watching his old movies, LaBeouf left intentionally while watching the second Transformers film, in which Spielberg was involved. He admitted, “I don’t enjoy the movies I made with Spielberg.” He mentioned that the only movie they worked on together that he liked was the first Transformers.
LaBeouf expressed that he was most disappointed by the response to Crystal Skull in 2008. Despite its worldwide gross of nearly $800 million, he doesn’t consider the sequel a success.
“I prepped for a year and a half. And then the movie comes out, and it’s your fault. That sh-t hurt bad.”
The actor also shared that Spielberg once told him not to read his press, which wasn’t practical advice at all.
The Indy 5 Drama Almost Demolished Shia LaBeouf’s Career, But He’s on Track Now
Shia LaBeouf admits that he’s not a top choice for big Hollywood blockbusters anymore. He noticed anonymous online comments blaming him for ruining the ’80s due to movies like Transformers, Wall Street 2, and Crystal Skull. Those negative thoughts would come back to him whenever fans asked for selfies.
“I didn’t like going in public, because I had to face my failures constantly.”
LaBeouf mentioned that he’s in a better place now, and his path has changed. He’s now part of a group of actors like James Franco, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Kristen Stewart. The actor acknowledges that his past has led him to his current career:
“I don’t think I’d be working with the directors I’ve been working with if I had not f–ked up a bit,” he says. “They wanted a f–king fireball. They wanted a loose cannon. I’m learning how to distill my ‘crazy’ into something manageable, that I can shape and deliver on the day.” He says he didn’t have the tools to do that before. “I was an open wound bleeding on everything.”
LaBeouf shared that this experience let him experience something he’s been searching for – connecting with people. He mentioned that you “float with people” but must remain adaptable.
Source: Variety
