The next phase of Shia
After blockbuster stardom and public meltdowns, Shia Labeouf is now entering a new stage of his career: mature, emotionally intelligent and reflective
THE REVOLVING DOOR of Hollywood can move fast. A string of dud roles, a couple of reckless incidents, a redemptive new period — this could refer to a lot of high-profile actors who found fame and then became blinded by it. But the remarkable rise and fall and rise again of Shia Labeouf shows a singular trajectory of creative catharsis and emotional maturation.
It hasn’t been an easy road. Following a few golden years as a Disney Channel poster boy, Labeouf became the face of a multi-billion-dollar franchise in the Transformers films. Off screen, he started to make a name for himself for other reasons: a car crash in 2008, an arrest in 2014 for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, and another in 2017 for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and obstruction. Labeouf subsequently checked into rehab and was diagnosed with PTSD. Then there was the provocative performance art, as part of the artistic trio Labeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, which included in its interdisciplinary projects a livestream of Laboeuf standing in a lift.
The actor has not strayed far from the spotlight. But his current and upcoming projects finally seem to offer the actor a sense of self-actualisation and serenity. His forthcoming film Honey Boy offers him an emotional purging, but also lets us see an entirely different side to the actor. Labeouf wrote the semi-autobiographical script from rehab in order to reckon with his youth as a child actor and his fraught relationship with an emotionally abusive father. (He plays his own dad in the film.) This is Labeouf at his most gentle and introspective: showing the sensitivity of someone who experienced tumult, coming out stronger on the other side.
It’s also a performance of remarkable restraint from an actor not always known for it. Projects like this let us look closer at this artist’s commitment to his craft without feeling antagonised by it. His role in heartwarming Sundance hit The Peanut Butter Falcon, as a wellmeaning fisherman who befriends a young man with Down’s syndrome, also demonstrates his humility as an actor. And his upcoming role in David Ayer’s crime thriller The Tax Collector suggests he’s still open to challenging, provocative characters.
It’s been quite a journey. But the fact that there are now awards whispers about his turn in Honey Boy is maybe the strongest indicator that we’re witnessing a renaissance. Whatever happens, expect Labeouf to keep surprising us.