‘I didn’t know a lot about him, I just go with my gut feeling’: The director of Shia LaBeouf’s comeback understates his casting risk

While there’s no denying that he’s one of his generation’s finest talents when firing on all cylinders, casting Shia LaBeouf in anything is guaranteed to generate headlines based on nothing but the risks and controversies that tend to follow the actor wherever he goes.

Having been caught up in a string of personal, professional, and legal incidents that covers rehabilitation treatment for alcoholism, plagiarism lawsuits, accusations of physical abuse, his side of the story in the Don’t Worry Darling drama, and his intense dedication to method acting, adding the former Disney alum to any project poses the potential of backfiring spectacularly.

Abel Ferrara holds the distinction of directing biographical drama Padre Pio, which marks LaBeouf’s first on-camera outing for three years, but in an interview with Movieweb he seemed to admit he was oblivious to the 36 year-old’s reputation when he was seeking out a leading man.

“I didn’t know a lot about him. I don’t need to know about somebody’s work. I just go with my gut feeling man, especially with actors. I could feel it was right. I knew it was right. And he immediately jumped in his truck and took off for wherever, that mission outside of LA, with the Franciscan monks. And he just sat in the parking lot. Okay, finally they came out and said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m gonna play Padre Pio. These guys, they’re not cynical, it’s not an attitude, so it’s like, ‘Okay, fine, come on inside.’ And then he began his new journey into Catholicism.”

LaBeouf initially converted to Christianity as part of his performative process during the shooting of David Ayer’s World War II thriller Fury, and it sounds as though Padre Pio has only furthered his journey into a new faith. It remains to be seen of he’ll be welcomed back into the industry with open arms, but Ferrara is already willing to work with him again.