Shia LaBeouf Blames Erratic Behavior On Method Acting

Shia LaBeouf has become well known for his erratic behaviors. One of his more public outbursts came to a conclusion when he was fired from the Broadway play “Orphans” last year. During his time on Broadway, LaBeouf clashed with Alec Baldwin, finally climaxing with the loss of his job. LaBeouf blames the incident on taking his method acting too far and immersing himself into character. He summed up the entire incident with five words.

“I was out of my mind.”

Shia LaBeouf did not simply pretend to be his character in the Broadway Play, “Orphans”, he essentially became his character in mind, body, and spirit. LaBeouf stated that he read an article about performance art, based on performances in the 60’s and 70’s, and realized that the sum of the play is all parts working together. LaBeouf’s interpretation of the article was to take on the entire personality of Treat, even if it meant becoming a complete jerk. By doing so, the other characters would, in essence, treat him with the same respect that his character deserved. He later realized that the article meant that they should all work together as a team. Although he conjured the reaction he had hoped for from Baldwin, his plan did not end as expected. He shared his initial goal with Interview Magazine.

“My whole goal was to intimidate the f**k out of Baldwin. That was the role. And it wasn’t going to be fake. I wanted him to be scared….So I went about doing that for three weeks of rehearsal.”

Some of the extremes that LaBeouf pushed himself to for the role went beyond expectations, including sleeping in the park at night and immersing himself completely into character. to the point that he actually became Treat.

Shia LaBeouf further complicated things by sharing emails between himself, Alec Baldwin, and the director of the play. Although he did intend to apologize for taking things too far,director Daniel Sullivan had already made his decision to part ways with LaBeouf and go another direction.

“I’m too old for disagreeable situations. You’re one hell of a great actor. Alec is who he is. you are who you are. you two are incompatible. I should have known it,”

LaBeouf may have lost the role in “Orphans”, but gained another in the movie Fury, with Brad Pitt. To prepare for the role, he went to more extremes by cutting his own face and pulling a tooth. He is undoubtedly a dedicated actor that will do whatever it takes to excel at the role he is assigned, unfortunately he often takes things too far. What are your thoughts in LaBeouf’s actions?

[Photo Courtesy: The Indian Express]