Shia LaBeouf’s creative journey has been unique. Throughout his journey from child star to scandalous adult actor, writer, and artist, he has often won and lost favor with the public. His record includes many critically acclaimed films and lauded roles in acclaimed pictures. LaBeouf’s controversial status has less to do with his work on screen and more with his actions behind the scenes.

His childhood

Shia LaBeouf’s acting career began in his teens. His early roles were mostly in small, mostly forgotten family movies from the late 90s, such as Christmas Trail and Breakfast with Einstein. He had more success on television, starring in such acclaimed series as ER, Freaks and Geeks, and The X-Files. His real breakthrough for him was his starring role in the Disney Channel series “Even Stevens,” which ran for three seasons and culminated in a movie.

After completing work on the Disney Channel, LaBeouf began to work more in family films; for example, they played the lead vocal role in Sony’s animated film “Surf.”

He is rethinking his image.

Shia LaBeouf began to choose challenging roles as his career progressed, quite the opposite of the comedic roles he was known for initially. However, before going down the dark indie path, he first entered the realm of blockbusters. Movies like Transformers, Indiana Jones, and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made him the new go-to performer for starring roles in big-budget spectacle films. After years in the lead role, LaBeouf made a significant turnaround. It was a bold decision to remove from the highly profitable Transformers franchise and leave blockbusters altogether. Since 2012, LaBeouf has starred exclusively in smaller, more artistic projects.

His struggle with plagiarism.

Recently, Shia LaBeouf, more than any other celebrity, has found himself inextricably linked to the act of plagiarism. He may have started earlier, but LaBeouf was first caught red-handed in 2012 when several of his comic books were found to contain lines stolen from authors such as Charles Bukowski.

After that, LaBeouf’s acts of plagiarism became increasingly bold. He notably released a 12-minute short film, “HowardCantour.com,” starring Jim Gaffigan, Portia Doubleday and Thomas Lennon. Fans of Justin M. Damiano’s comic book pointed out that “HowardCantour.com” looks a lot like a straight adaptation of the source material.

He appeared on the red carpet with the caption, “I’m not famous anymore.”

Shia LaBeouf’s unusual antics in public often attract attention. One of his most memorable appearances was on the red carpet with his face hidden under a paper bag with the inscription “I am no longer famous.” This happened at the 2014 Berlinale International Film Festival when LaBeouf accompanied his appearance in Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac Vol. 1.”

Also, at the same film festival, LaBeouf performed during a group press conference with other cast members and crew of Nymphomaniac.

His performance.

Shia LaBeouf’s many wild antics were acts of performance art. And while he was the face of these performances, he wasn’t the only one organizing them behind the scenes, around 2014. LaBeouf began collaborating with artists Luke Turner and Sede Renko, and this trio was responsible for designing and performing all of his stunts. In 2014, they worked together on his “I’m Not Famous Anymore” stunt and then moved on to a new concept, creating a piece called #IAMSORRY.

During the movie Fury, his body was permanently damaged.

As LaBeouf sought to shake off the stigma associated with child actors, he became known as a complex method actor in his adult life.

During an interview originally published in the British magazine GQ, lead singer Logan Lerman revealed that the cuts on LaBeouf’s face throughout the movie were not makeup.

Labeouf’s physical transformation for the role continued. He went even further by removing a tooth from his mouth.

Screenwriting Contest Scandals.

LaBeouf sent his screenplay for “Honey Boy” to the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, a contest designed explicitly for outsiders and newcomers to the film industry with no professional connections. “Honey Boy” made it to the quarterfinals, leaving LaBeouf and the contest itself in some confusion among screenwriters as to whether it was eligible.

Recall that the contest’s grand prize was a thousand dollars, mentoring, and meetings with film industry professionals. While these perks would mean a lot to aspiring screenwriters, they would mean nothing to someone as wealthy, established and connected as Shia LaBeouf, except perhaps to boost his self-esteem.

His autobiographical movie turned out to be a fake.

After years of promoting the movie Honey Boy as an autobiographical true story, LaBeouf admitted in 2022 that he made the whole thing up.

Abuse allegations.

Shia LaBeouf’s accusations of plagiarism, numerous arrests for drunkenness, and violent behavior can quickly turn against him. However, his worst act was the abuse he allegedly inflicted on his former partner.

Initially, LaBeouf denied the allegations, telling the Times, “A lot of these allegations are not true.” But he later changed his viewpoint on Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones podcast: “I hurt this woman … I messed up big time.”

He is an alleged dog killer.

In the long list of charges FKA Twigs has filed against Shia LaBeouf, one of the most disturbing aspects is his aggressive behavior towards animals. While they were living together, LaBeouf began preparing for his role in the movie Tax Collector. In preparation, he purchased a real gun, which he kept loaded next to his bed every night.

In addition to concerns for his safety, FKA Twigs claimed that LaBeouf used the gun to shoot stray dogs.