PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Sept. 7 (UPI) — After public, alcohol-fueled meltdowns threatened to derail his career, Shia LaBeouf opened up about his decision to quit drinking, his journey back to the big screen and his performance art.
LaBeouf was arrested in 2014 for drunkenly disrupting a performance of the Broadway musical “Cabaret,” charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of criminal trespassing.
“I’m still earning my way back,” he said in a recent interview with Variety.
The 30-year-old actor said he is on a new path.
LaBeouf told Variety he hasn’t had a drink in almost a year — “You don’t touch it,” he said — and has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
LaBeouf threw himself into his work and has earned glowing reviews for his performance in “American Honey,” which is being shown at the Toronto Film Festival following its Cannes debut in May.
The film, in which LaBeouf plays the leader of a group of thieves that travels the country selling magazine subscriptions, premieres in theaters Sept. 30.
LaBeouf almost had the role of Lt. GQ Edwards in director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, but the studio passed on him and went with Scott Eastwood.
“I don’t think Warner Bros. wanted me,” LaBeouf said. “I went in to meet and they were like, ‘Nah, you’re crazy. You’re a good actor, but not this one.’ It was a big investment for them.”
LaBeouf is in Prague filming “Borg vs. McEnroe” and he said his past mistakes have led him to indie films.
“I don’t think I’d be working with the directors I’ve been working with if I had not [expletive] up a bit,” he said. “I’m learning how to distill my ‘crazy’ into something manageable that I can shape and deliver on the day.”
