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Shia LaBeouf

Shia LaBeouf is about to be big news.

Before he appears in 2008's Indiana Jones 4, his turn as Sam Witwicky in Transformers will make it impossible for him to pop out for the proverbial pint of milk. Things are going well for Orson Welles biggest fan.

Did they send you to a Transformers school to immerse you in the back story?

Yes, they had to teach us everything. When you have an audience that is this passionate, if you say Tiger Patch wrong, they will think the whole movie sucks. If you use Autobots in the wrong context, they will not go to see the film. It is over and you need those fans. As much as we ad libbed, we had to know how to ad lib in that world.

Were you a Transformers fan as a kid growing up?

I was an 80s baby, born in 1986 and I initially got into Transformers not because of them per se, but because there was a film back then that was Orson Welles' last hurrah and I was a huge fan of his. From that, I was introduced to it and it was the male Barbie; every boy had one. I was into them and Yogi Bear.

Movies have been based on great pieces of literature, great plays and now even songs. But what do we say about the industry when movies are based on a toy? Are we running out of ideas?

It is not that they made a movie out of the Ferbie or the Brats. This is not just a toy. There is a whole legend and lure behind it. Have you ever been into a tattoo shop and seen somebody getting an X Box 360 tattoo? You do see them get Decepticon tattoos. It is more of a lifestyle than a toy. People are super passionate, almost Star Wars fanatic. If you go on these web sites, they will post one Transformers notice and within one hour, there will be 700 responses. The fact that it is the most downloaded trailer ever in the history of Yahoo is crazy. It is not just a toy.

Is your character a new creation for the movie?

No, he was actually in the Orson Welles film and his name was Spike Witwicky. He was only in a couple of the scenes. He wasn't a big presence in the Transformers cartoon. Bumblebee was supposed to protect him because he was in cahoots with the Transformers. It has been beefed up for this film and his name has been changed to Sam because it would be strange to have a kid from this neurotic sheltered family have that name. A father who was a used car salesman and a mother selling beauty products would not name their kid Spike. There have been changes but essentially it is the same character.

The film looked like it took a lot out of you physically.

It was the toughest thing I have ever been through. I had to work with things that weren't there.

How was it to work with Michael Bay on set because he is famous for yelling all the time?

I needed that encouragement. I didn't want a cheerleader or someone who came up to me quietly and said, "We are thinking of blowing up this building and we might need seven actors to fall down. Can you do that?" We don't need that kind of director. That creates fear and while you might need fear sometimes, you need someone who is going to get things done. Bay is that kind of director. He comes in on set and says, "Okay today, here we go. Let's get it done." He has this General Patton vibe and you need that. He is the adrenaline junkie who embodies this type of film and you need that guy because he makes you feel safe. He knows everything about every explosion and knows how to make a bomb. He is well studied and it is his life. We had like a big brother/younger brother thing going on so it was all good. You don't want to be on the other side of Michael because then it is not good.

In a film like this, the actors take the back seat because the Transformers will be the big stars of this film.

Of course. I know that. There is no movie without Megatron and Optimus. You cannot steal their thunder. That is the movie and they are the stars. Aside from that, when you break down the human aspect, I never thought I would be the fourth banana. You never expect it but once you are in it, you fall to the wall.

It does seem to be a good time to be Shia right now?

I am 20 years old and there are positives and negatives to all of this. The more movies you do, the harder they become. I do not want to be a personality. I want to be an actor and maintain the mystery but I have to sit here with you and give some of that up. I am very blessed right now and in my life, things are good. I will have my low points. But I do plan on going to school. I do not want to be repetitive and I need life experiences because I will not have anything to draw from and I will just be a boring actor.

But as each big movie comes along, when do you decide to stop and go to school?

I deal with this day by day. If Spielberg calls me up, then I respond to it differently. I need to take four years away and go to school. I look at Drew Barrymore. Here is a person who has an audience who has grown up with her and trusts her. That is a good thing and a bad thing. She cannot play a crack head or a rapist. She cannot go and be in The Queen because she is so trusted. She cannot be the villain. As an actor, you don't want to be known as the trustworthy guy. I want to go away and come back with a scar. You didn't look at Steve McQueen and think that you trusted him. He had this mystery, Johnny Depp has that now. He has a mystery. That can only be a good thing.

Transformers is out now.

Published: 31 July 2007
Issue: 1280

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