So there’s this Harrison Ford quote that’s been going around the internet today where he calls Shia LaBeouf an idiot. And obviously people love that, because Harrison Ford is Han Solo and Shia LaBeouf is that kid from those crappy movies. I hate to spoil that with pesky nuance, but here we are. First, here’s the quote people keep sending me, in regards to LaBeouf criticizing Indy 4:
[Ford] told Details: “I think [LaBeouf] was a f*cking idiot. As an actor, I think it’s my obligation to support the film without making a complete ass of myself. Shia is ambitious, attentive, and talented – and he’s learning how to deal with a situation which is very unique and difficult.”
Sounds pretty juicy, at least the way NME writes it. Which was slightly different from the actual quote, according to the original souce:
Although LaBeouf tells DETAILS that Harrison Ford privately applauded his outspokenness, Ford recalls the conversation differently. “I think I told him he was a f**king idiot,” the famously reticent star says. “As an actor, I think it’s my obligation to support the film without making a complete ass of myself. Shia is ambitious, attentive, and talented—and he’s learning how to deal with a situation which is very unique and difficult.”
Dropping “I think I told him” changes the flavor quite a bit, no? Not to mention, this was what LaBeouf originally said that made Harrison Ford think he was such an idiot:
“You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg, who directed]. But the actor’s job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn’t do it. So that’s my fault. Simple.”
“I think if you don’t acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you’re promoting a movie?” LaBeouf went on to say he wasn’t the only star on the film who felt that way. “We [Harrison Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn’t happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn’t universally accepted.”
So basically, LaBeouf acknowledged that Indiana Jones 4 sucked, a fact so glaringly obvious to anyone who saw it that to claim otherwise would be like denying the holocaust, all while diplomatically blaming himself for it. DO YOU. UNNASTAND. THE WORDS. THAT ARE COMIN OUTTA LABEOUF? No, but Harrison Ford is totally right, what a f*cking idiot. By the way, nice earring, bro, it totally makes you look younger.