I’d like to put this out there before we jump into things: there are probably far worse people in Hollywood — and certainly worse actors — than Shia LaBeouf. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Disturbia (but that’s about where my affinity for Shia ends). When it comes to the internet though, man, do they really love hating this guy.
Now, aside from the recent Twitter plagiarism and feuds with Lena Dunham — which in the grand scheme of a Hollywood career, seems pretty minuscule — there are plenty of other things the internet has found to hate about Shia over the years. So how about we throw some extra gasoline on the bonfire and rehash them, eh?
1. He somehow managed to out a-hole Alec Baldwin. It’s really saying something if you come off as a bigger diva than a guy who has been kicked off an airline, threatened to kick a reporter’s ass, and hat threatened to quit showbiz more than once.
Working with Baldwin on the play Orphans caused too much friction for LaBeouf so the actor took to Twitter to voice his frustration before calling it quits. Too much ego for one Broadway stage, I guess.
2. Everything about Transformers 2. It’s bad when talking CGI robots put in a better performance than the film’s lead actor. There was only a single moment of relief between the opening and closing credits…
3. The guy has the hair of a porn producer. It’s no surprise that Lars von Trier picked Shia for his X-rated sex fest, Nymphomaniac. That’s the look of a man who frequents a Brazzers film set.
4. He bites the hand that feeds him. Do big studio films and make boatloads of money, or don’t and stick to small indie stuff (Hollywood always needs more DJ Qualls). What doesn’t tend to win over folks in or out of the industry is bad-mouthing the studios who write your paycheck. LaBeouf did exactly that when he told The Hollywood Reporter he was done with blockbusters because studios “give you the money then get on a plane to the set and stick a finger up your ass and chase you around for five months.”
5. You know that guy who can’t walk into a bar without getting into a fight? Yeah, that’s Shia. An isolated incident is one thing, but LaBeouf breaks out the fisticuffs on an almost annual basis. Let’s take a look at the rundown:
- 2005 – Arrested by Los Angeles police after ramming his car into his neighbor.
- 2007 – Arrested for misdemeanor criminal trespassing after becoming disorderly in a Chicago Walgreens.
- 2008 – Arrest warrant issued after failure to make a court appearance for a ticket for unlawful smoking in California.
- 2008 – Involved in a car crash after another car ran a red light, hitting LaBeouf’s truck. LaBeouf was arrested for misdemeanor drunk driving.
- 2011 – Gets in a bar fight at Mad Bull’s Tavern bar in Sherman Oaks, California.
- 2011 – Embarrassingly gets knocked to the ground by a fat dude outside a bar in Vancouver.
- 2013 – Gets in a fight in a London bar and reportedly threatened a man with, “I can get you killed.”
On the plus side, it’s never a dull moment when you kick it with Shia.
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