CHRIS NEUMER: I did this thing with Nick Nolte in New York, I don’t know if you know Nick, but he’s nuts. (read Nolte's interview)
SHIA LABEOUF: He’s a lunatic.
CHRIS NEUMER: A fun lunatic. I wouldn’t feel bad... If I had kids, I wouldn’t feel bad if he was with my kids, but at same time he’s out there. I was sitting on a couch in his suite in New York just like that, waiting for him. He came up to me and sat down so close to me that one ass cheek landed on the top of my thigh and slid down. As he's doing that, I’m looking around the room and seeing a couple of other chairs way on the far side of it. But that’s how we ended up doing the interview, sitting like that on a loveseat.
SHIA LABEOUF: He told me the craziest story at Sundance, about how he used to be a glassblower.
CHRIS NEUMER: Nothing surprises me with him.
SHIA LABEOUF: He was glassblowing, he said, in his boxers in his garage, and one of the bubbles popped. The glass got on his dick, and it wouldn’t get off, because it’s like molten lava when it comes off the bubble. He said he went to the hospital and at the hospital they said, "Look, we can’t remove the glass because doing so will puncture a vein and then we’ll have to sever your penis." So his wife called him "glass dick Nolte". I don’t know if he has a wife or if that actually happened. But I know he likes to tell stories like that.
CHRIS NEUMER: I don’t think he does have a wife actually… Yep, and the stories are good too. And anytime I mention Nick Nolte, everybody’s like, "Oh my god, you would not believe what happened to me." By the way, here’s a copy of the magazine, I brought it because Dito [Montiel, LaBeouf’s director in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints] something for us on that one. (read Montiel's article) He’s a different kind of guy.
SHIA LABEOUF: He’s a completely different breed of human.
CHRIS NEUMER: Yes, working with him on that piece, it started out with him writing things in all capitals…
SHIA LABEOUF: Yeah, that’s how we got the script.
CHRIS NEUMER: …and then, he had things where he was watching Maury while he was writing it and he started talking about things going on in Maury while he was watching it. I said, "You know we can’t print this." The main point of contention was his original last paragraph where he said that watching the movie would make people want to puke.
SHIA LABEOUF: I don’t see that, that’s kind of bullshit. See, I feel he’s trying to be weird sometimes.
CHRIS NEUMER: Yeah. You think?
SHIA LABEOUF: I think he’s kind of forced. Like an act.
CHRIS NEUMER: I don’t know.
SHIA LABEOUF: I think it’s him going back to that rock star thing, where he is trying to be the rock star again.
CHRIS NEUMER: He definitely is a unique guy.
SHIA LABEOUF: He’s a unique guy. I’m going to go through the magazine right when you leave.
CHRIS NEUMER: I always like to hear that. I was glad to be able to talk to you, because there are two people, of which you’re one, whom I find absolutely fascinating because of the way you’re both transitioning from child stars to adult actors. You and Joe Gordon-Levitt are just breezing through…
SHIA LABEOUF: Joe Gordon-Levitt is talented.
CHRIS NEUMER: Yes, he is amazing. Do you find it harder being a male and making the transition from child actor?
SHIA LABEOUF: No, no. It’s much easier.
CHRIS NEUMER: Why do you say that? I assumed the exact opposite was true.
SHIA LABEOUF: It’s less vain. First off, look at me and Joe. We’re not like classic beauties or Adonis’.
CHRIS NEUMER: Not like me.
SHIA LABEOUF: Not like you. No, definitely not. A woman…it’s very vain, you need that sex factor. If you look like me and you’re a female, obviously there’d be a problem. If you were like the Garry Shandling version of a woman, no matter how good you are as an actress, you’re Michelle Trachtenberg. [You’re] kind of in this weird position where you’re not sexy enough to be a leading lady, no matter how talented you are. It’s tough; it’s harder for a female. It’s always been that way, in film for any age no matter what it’s always harder for the woman.
CHRIS NEUMER: I’m on the periphery of the industry writing about film as I do, but at the same time I still feel like I have some kind of idea of what goes on. And thinking about this last night I came to the conclusion that if you have boobs and are willing to show them off, that’s got to help a lot.
SHIA LABEOUF: Sure.
CHRIS NEUMER: That’s what I was saying. Now, I don’t know how that reflects back to Michelle Trachtenberg.
SHIA LABEOUF: Yeah, you look at Sienna Miller. Because she’s beautiful, she has a career. That’s as simple as it gets. I haven’t seen her movies, but I know that where she came from as a tabloid goddess, into the actor thing, it’s not an easy transition, unless you’re beautiful. If you’re beautiful, then it works.
CHRIS NEUMER: I think that’s why you become a tabloid princess.
SHIA LABEOUF: Exactly, so it’s not the same for me and Joe. Me and Joe aren’t personalities, so it’s different. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor’s actor. He’s an actor, but he’s darker at this point in his career and his choices and his path than I am.
CHRIS NEUMER: Are you just saying that because he’s played gay prostitutes and severe manic-depressives who need to be hospitalized? That’s a bold statement!
SHIA LABEOUF: It’s just different choices; you can’t put Joseph in a type. He’s an actor, but you can’t type him, which means he’s going to have longevity if he keeps that up.
CHRIS NEUMER: Now let me ask you this–and feel free to tell me to go to hell because I know this is something that most actors don’t like to talk about–particularly for someone in your position, you’ve got to figure that money is a pretty big factor.
SHIA LABEOUF: Oh, hell yeah!
CHRIS NEUMER: Certain people just grab for the cash and, in my eyes, that screws you over in the long run. I read a quote of yours where you said you weren’t picking projects for the money, just what interested you. But you have Even Stevens money in the bank.
SHIA LABEOUF: I initially got into this career because of money; pure and simple. There was no other reason I got into this. When I got onto Even Stevens, I didn’t know shit about craft, I’d never read Meisner or Stanislavski, I didn’t know anything about Strasberg, I knew shit. All I knew was this was a way to get cash and get me out of Echo Park. My dad was a drug dealer, my mom had a job selling pens. This was my life. It was all money. You could make $8,000 a week doing this show. What the fuck? Of course, I’m in! Sold! That was Even Stevens. I didn’t learn about craft until I meet Jon Voight. I knew nothing about acting, I knew nothing about the magic, I did not watch Papillion and Dustin Hoffman do all this insanity, Kramer vs. Kramer, then Midnight Cowboy, I never watched movies like that. I was watching [Teenage Mutant] Ninja Turtles, Yogi Bear, the Transformers, I knew nothing about any of that art. You started getting introduced by Jon Voight. You start realizing who he is. You watch Coming Home and Midnight Cowboy you realize this dude’s a magician. Then he starts showing you John Hurt in Elephant Man. I start watching Gary Oldman with him; we had a Gary Oldman night. It’s fucking insanity, the dude’s a magician. Magic was created for me. I knew nothing about it before that. After Voight, it became something else. But again there are steps you’ve got to go through. Joseph’s in a peculiar situation. He’s in a lucky situation because he’s show was on a way bigger scale then Even Stevens was, so his audience was sort of built in. The audience that would follow from 3rd Rock would be way bigger than the one from Even Stevens. Not only that but he’s not coming off a show with a stigma, you come off the Disney channel, you’re kind of fucked. You’re "the Hilary Duff guy".
CHRIS NEUMER: That was the impetus of your Hilary Duff, Gary Oldman quote.
SHIA LABEOUF: Right.
CHRIS NEUMER: Which I was thinking, any guy who can say this…we’ll bring this up.
SHIA LABEOUF: [laughs] Yeah. For instance, to get out of the kiddy shit, I did Project Greenlight simply because I knew that I would have…
CHRIS NEUMER: We’re talking The Battle of Shaker Heights?
SHIA LABEOUF: The Battle of Shaker Heights. You didn’t walk into The Battle of Shaker Heights, you walked into Project Greenlight. The show is where the priority was, and the movie was secondary. You were playing two roles, you were representative, who was playing Shia, was a character and that character got me out of the Disney channel vibe and the business looked at me like "here’s this smart-ass, wise-assed kid". I cursed as much as possible, I had no writers telling me what to say.
CHRIS NEUMER: Ah, the Bob Saget way.
SHIA LABEOUF: At that point, at 14, 15, 16, that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to get off that Disney channel thing and that was one route.
CHRIS NEUMER: I saw you have a long list of agents, managers, and attorneys, and publicists and all that. Have you sat down with any of them and sort of crafted a plan? Are you mid-step of like step three of a five-year plan or something like that?
SHIA LABEOUF: I don’t know if it’s a yearly plan, but there’s a definite goal. There are definite don’t do’s and definite do’s.
CHRIS NEUMER: Now you know you’ve got me curious with that. What don't you do?
SHIA LABEOUF: The don’t do’s are, the prom, or the cool guy gets girl; any teeny, kiddy thing with no substance. There’s a way to do a kiddy thing in a Rushmore way or Napoleon Dynamite kind of way which isn’t a dime a dozen. I mean, I want to do a comedy, cause I haven’t done one in awhile, but again it’s got to be a certain kind of comedy. You can’t just do a broad insane comedy for no reason. There’s a lot of turning down. I must have turned down 15 movies last year. That’s not me being the cocky guy, that’s just how bad projects can get.
CHRIS NEUMER: I’m going the other way. I’m surprised it’s only 15. Are we talking scripts you read or offers?
SHIA LABEOUF: 15 scripts.
CHRIS NEUMER: That got by your agent?
SHIA LABEOUF: No, 15 scripts that were offered that we turned down. We’ll go through 70 or 80 scripts a year.
CHRIS NEUMER: That’s closer to the number I was thinking of.
SHIA LABEOUF: Right, again, there’s five of us, Joe, Me, Emil Hirsch, Jamie Bell, there’s a good group of actors. The fifth would be [inaudible]. He would be the fifth; and we all go for the same stuff. We chase the same stuff. It’s competitive as hell. [note: I have no idea who LaBeouf is referencing here as the fifth actor. It sounds like "Michael Air-uh-gan-oh". This name is not close to anyone I’ve ever heard of or am familiar with. I have not been able to get in contact with LaBeaof to clarify the matter either.]
CHRIS NEUMER: I did a story on young actresses, and they were saying a similar thing; when they’re up for a role, they’re all up for the same role, and competing against one another for it. One of them said, that every once in awhile, someone will get a part and she’d be like, "You bitch! How could you do that?" I’m not saying you’re going to call somebody a bitch, but is there ever a time where you say, "you went with him… yeah"?
SHIA LABEOUF: You understand the choices and there are enough roles for everyone. But when you want something bad, sure. For instance, I auditioned for The Assassination of Jesse James, I wanted it because that director is on a different level. I wanted that movie so bad and it came down to me and Casey [Affleck]. They went with him because he’s older. I understood the choice. I’d make Brad [Pitt] look really old because I’m so young. The character, Bob Ford, also had some extreme life experiences. If you’re going to play a murderer, people might not buy me as that yet. There’s a Drew Barrymore aspect to my career at this point, which is going to be tough for me to get passed. People have grown up with me and they trust me.
CHRIS NEUMER: Could you, in a weird way, play that to your advantage?
SHIA LABEOUF: Sure, look at Tom Hanks, he does that.
CHRIS NEUMER: I saw Disturbia last night and I’d bet that every time David Morse is on screen, the director went up to him before the scene and said, "Play this as sweet and nice as you can, just play this like you’re the nicest guy in the world and we’re just going to put this creepy music over it." It’s like the second time you watch The Usual Suspects and you go, "Oh yeah!" Could you say to a director, "I would be the perfect murderer for you because nobody would expect me to be a murderer,"?
SHIA LABEOUF: Sure. But you don’t want to be so opposite that people say, "He’s trying to get past something," or, "He’s trying to jump into another boat." You want to transition, but you want to make it effortless. You don’t want to transition and be like, "Now Hilary’s playing the rapist!"
CHRIS NEUMER: Now let me ask you this, it ties into another question, when you say, "Now Hilary’s playing a rapist,", at that point isn’t it that the person is bigger than the role? With Hilary, that’s Hllary, that’s who she is.
SHIA LABEOUF: That’s the worst, the end of your career. The minute your personality is bigger than your role, you’re done.
CHRIS NEUMER: What I was getting at with you is that I don’t think you’re bigger than a role. You’re more known as an actor, that’s not a slight on you…
SHIA LABEOUF: No, and that’s the truth. That’s the way I want to keep it.
CHRIS NEUMER: …On the other hand, celebrity is so important in terms of box office and I know Transformers, which I’m sure you’ve already had an ass-full talking about, but that’s going to be able to open the door for you to do a lot of things. Is there a conscious effort to sort of ramp up your paparazzi shots here or there?
SHIA LABEOUF: No, the goal is to stay away, I don’t go to Hollywood. People choose to have paparazzi; it’s not like an infliction or a disease that happens to them. You chose to have a fucking sandwich at the Ivy. There are other places to eat in Los Angeles.
CHRIS NEUMER: I’ve gotta let you know. I eat at the Ivy every time I’m in L.A. and I never make it in any magazines, ever. Try as I might.
SHIA LABEOUF: You know there are parts of town like Robertson Blvd. where you can go shopping and it’s hey; "I haven’t worked in a while, take my picture and I’m back in the news". Even if I haven’t worked in a while… it’s almost a debilitating as having three movies that bomb in a row. To start [with], being in US Weekly takes away your mystery, and it fucks you as an actor. The reason Johnny Depp is a good actor is not just because he’s a good actor, but the perception of Johnny Depp is of a good actor. Perception is just as important as your skill level.
CHRIS NEUMER: I argue it may be even more so.
SHIA LABEOUF: At this point probably.
CHRIS NEUMER: Which it’s disgusting in its own right.
SHIA LABEOUF: These are the facts though. This is my representative, this isn’t me. It’s far too important for this to really be me, and perception is this important for this to really be me. So this becomes another performance, and another thing, you start sound biting your life and you start creating this fucking [persona]…and it’s never really you, it’s another side of this.
CHRIS NEUMER: Oh no. I’m not going to write anything about that. I’m just going to use my preconceived notion of what an asshole you are. I’m only going to write about that and all the stuff you’ve said I’m just going to take out of context.
SHIA LABEOUF: Okay, I’m ready for it. It’ll be a [Dito] Montiel interview.
CHRIS NEUMER: Exactly.
SHIA LABEOUF: He purposely takes it out of context though.
CHRIS NEUMER: Yes.
SHIA LABEOUF: Because that’s his representative, he wants to be the weird director.
CHRIS NEUMER: He doesn’t have that much work to do.
SHIA LABEOUF: It’s true. He wears his fuckin’ shorts with the boots.
CHRIS NEUMER: I don’t know with him, in New York. I’ve done one with him in L.A. and yeah, I’m telling you it was in February and he was wearing that.
SHIA LABEOUF: There’s middle ground.
CHRIS NEUMER: The question is this. Everyone, I’d say 99% of America, but that’s way too low, wants to be a celebrity. Everybody wants to be that. Now you don’t want to be that? Do you find it in a weird way that it’s hard not being there?
SHIA LABEOUF: There are two shades to this. You want to have some sort of celebrity but you want it to be based off your work. You want to be known not because of your outbursts or your dating life, or your party scene. You want to be known for your work. You want that to be your celebrity. You want your roles to be that. In the Matt Damon vein, that’s what you want. Or the Ryan Gosling vein. You really don’t know much about Ryan other than his performances and that’s the celebrity that you want. But you want that to be big enough to where you can put out a Half Nelson and people in Japan will see it. Which is where Tom Hanks is at, Tom Hanks can make any movie and there’s going to be a huge audience for that. Will Smith is now going that route and it’s strange, the level of personality that he’s at, it’s tougher for him to do the performance thing. [Will’s] not a bad actor. You watch some of his stuff, I liked him in Ali and I liked The Pursuit of Happyness. His work is at a certain level where you can accept it. You have a person like Lindsay [Lohan], who’s a good actress–she is! When you look at her work and compare her to other people and her age, she’s a good actress. Her personality is so much though that it takes away from the performance. No matter how good she is or can be, it doesn’t matter. I remember going to the Bobby thing and she’s good in Bobby, but because of the personality shit, it overshadowed it. But, Lindsay can open a movie? No she can’t. As big as her personality is her movie still tanked, the Just My Luck thing, which was all the personality route and that didn’t work. Now that that formula didn’t work, you gotta find something different. And somebody like a Zooey Deschanel where it’s a mysterious thing, that’s interesting, and Rachel Wood she’ll be around for a while. I guess in the long run, it is the long run. It’s not about how big it is…. The Michael Caine thing is the way you want to go. Michael Caine has the perfect career. Or Dustin Hoffman. Those are the dudes.
