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Shia LaBeouf's Wild World
Several made the obvious point that this kind of behavior is hardly new—although one added a twist. “Hollywood’s full of legendary actors who are alcoholics,” he said. “Some of them die young, some of them don’t. Shia drinks too much but where you get into problems is abusing cocaine or heroin or pills. He’s been very careful about that.... So yes, it’s a danger.” But alcohol is “not a gateway to other things.”
One studio chief said the actor may just be exaggerating, building his legend. “Part of it is that rebellious youthful swagger,” he said. “It’s appealing to his generation, his fanbase. To girls, that’s like, 'Oh, he’s the bad boy.’ To guys, they’re like, 'That looks cool.’ ”
But LaBeouf has had several brushes with the law, including a 2007 arrest when he was trespassing at Walgreen’s while he was “wasted out of my mind.” He told Playboy he’d sucked down a whisky and three beers on the night last summer when he wrecked his truck and permanently damaged his hand. That was during the filming of Transformers 2 but director Michael Bay asserted at the time that LaBeouf was not drunk. The accident apparently wasn’t his fault—which sounds like a matter of luck. But his license was suspended because he declined a Breathalyzer test.
Meanwhile, the young star seems to be ingesting a stew of Hollywood advice. He told Playboy that Steven Spielberg—who was an early champion of LaBeouf and has worked with the actor on several films—keeps tabs on him periodically in part because “he’s checking on his investment” but also “as a friend, as a concerned adult.” Harrison Ford, who seemingly passed the Indiana Jones whip to LaBeouf in the fourth installment of that lucrative franchise, told him to “muscle up and get through it,” whatever that means. And LaBeouf says Harvey Weinstein once approached him at an event and said, “Don’t forget to be young, man.” LaBeouf took that to mean “you can beat yourself up all you want, but it’s OK.”
More than one source suggested that what LaBeouf really just needs media training. Not so says his publicist, Melissa Kates. "Shia has always approached publicity from an extremely candid perspective,” she said in a statement. “He is very comfortable with who he is and unlike many of his peers, he does not feel the need to edit or censor himself."
And what about his sobriety?
No comment.
Kim Masters is the host of The Business, public radio's weekly show about the business of show business. She is also the author of The Keys to the Kingdom: The Rise of Michael Eisner and the Fall of Everybody Else.
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yea yea yea
i bet it is a matter of time before something happens to take the bloom off, speaking from experience, then again, calumny runs in my family, and he is 1.5 generations further down what might be progress...maybe the dead woman live boy paradigm...
then again, money talks.
if the money ever stops, there will be problems: problems like going for surgery in germany where your health insurance was and attending a rocky horror picture show performance and feeling obligated, as the possessor of a local american patina that includes a vaudeville house turned movie hall turned fri/sat midnite rocky horror picture show place, to teach the germans the responses....
it didnt go so well in the theater... the audience was scared the actors were freaked.
and then a month later, my agent told me that he knew that i during my most recent german trip i showed up for a rehearsal 'high as a kite' screaming obscenities and disrupting everything.
didnt make them money... but then again, what opera singer has EVER made money? :)
What is this gibberish? Thanks for sharing!
Wat opera singer has EVER made money? Uhhhhh......Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Placido Domingo, etc., etc. They have made a bundle and they have brought in a bundle to the opera houses where they have played.
Opera singers need agents? Wow, you learn something new everyday.
I'm 24, and this article is incredibly insulting to my generation. most of us think LeBufff is a spoiled, no talent rich boy. I don't look at him and say "that looks cool". what the fuck does that even mean???
I also resent the fact that he is being defended with the argument that he he is "candid" and doesn't have to "censor" himself like other kids in his generation do. This kid is a fucking movie star! His whole existence is a front!
kim masters... hollywood... what the fuck.
right toe, doko!
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yes, you speak for all of your generation. Thank you ambassador 20 something.
Totally agree. I'm 26, and this LaBoeuf shit is ridiculous. If it's just him they're talking about, fine; no worries. But to put him up as the paradigm of OUR generation? What?
Huh?
Total BS.
"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor."
I really have no idea what that exec is talking about. Like the above poster I'm in my 20s and I have never for a second thought "thats cool" about anything related to Shea Lepoof. As far as most girls I know, being rebellious and having swagger is sometimes attractive, yes, but with guys who look like James Dean or Colin Farrel not guys who, at 23, look like the nerdy 15 year old kid everyone turned down for the prom. Now he's just the 15 year old kid that sneaks into his fathers liquor cabinet and shows up to the prom alone and drunk, not much cooler.
Shea is just coincidentally lucky that he has been in a bunch of major event films that he sort of tagged along on. Like anyone saw Indiana Jones or Transformers because he was in it, not a chance. The only movie I can think of that he was really asked to carry was the Battle of Shaker Heights in which he was somewhat amusing, but the movie only made a few million (even with being the project greenlight movie heavily hyped on HBO).
That he is a "hot commodity" doesn't really go to his prowess as an actor, but rather the dearth of 20 something actors worth a damn in hollywood currently. That he's old enough to be halfway through his graduate degree and is still playing a college freshman is a good indicator that he is not as long for the scene as many seem to think. Who in the world would go see him in a Harrison Ford role (IE Indiana Jones)? How anyone could think he could possibly make the transition from playing some kid in all these movies to leading man as he ages out of looking 15 but remains unattractive and 5'8 is beyond me. Anyone who thinks he's going to be the white Will Smith is crazy.
Heeey! There's nothing wrong with being 5'8". . . . Is there?
Hollywood is smarmy. How sad to be treated like nothing but a commodity. Hollywood is the only place where a person can behave that way and still get paid millions of dollars. I mean what incentive is there to grow up and acquire character when you don't have to? In any other profession, he would be gone in a day. The studios don't care because he makes huge amounts of money for them. Agents and publicists do their job, which is to work for him, because that's what they are getting paid very well to do. He's obviously had a hard life so far, but no one in Hollywood gives a rat's ass.
Sleepy LaBeef talks a lot of crap. If he can dodge the daggers and put in uniquely great performances, bravo. I ain't seen shite yet.
BTW: alcohol is a gateway to egotism and churlish behavior, as well as AA meetings, where some effective networking can be done (see The Player).
If you have money & time, you can always go to the best rehabs in the world when the time comes.
Sounds like he has both, so no sympathy here.
rich, annoying twentysomething movie star (who has yet to actually make a GOOD film) drinks a lot and likes to have fun, then extemporizes inanely about said behavior? snoooore.
Shia LBeouf is a pussy. As are most of the 20-something actors being shoved down our throats.
I'm 19 and I do not look up to Shia for his drinking problem and I do not think most kids do. I do think he is very sexy and enjoy his movies. To the person who said he has never carried a successful movie on his own, did you not see Disturbia or Eagle Eye? They both were very successful at the box office.
I dont look up to Shia but I do admire what he has achieved for himself at such an early age. He really has had an awesome career ( as far as I know). I dont know why everyone analyses (Im from the UK by the way, hence no Z) the guy, why cant you just enjoy his movies or not and just leave it at that! He has been in some awesome movies I think.
So he has a drinking problem, look at it from his point of view. He is a very young guy with a shit load of money just ask yourself this 'what would you do?' I'm in recruitment so I have earned quite a bit of money for my age to me �3000 a month thats circa $6000 and I have done some silly things, just imaging if you had a couple of mil in the bank.
I think he is extremely likable there is only a few famous people that I would like to meet and he is one of them just because he seems a stand up guy.
People that seem to rip into him, in my position are just jealous that he is clearly having an awesome time.
Go on Lebouff!
Thank you.
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