After rising to prominence as a child star and then going on to appear in a series of box office hits while barely into his 20s, Shia LaBeouf seemed destined for the very top of the Hollywood A-list. However, the actor has since made it clear that he has no interest in fame or fortune whatsoever, and has spent the last decade reinventing himself as one of the most dedicated and committed talents in the business.
There are very few stars if any that would go to the lengths that LaBeouf does for his roles, whether it be repeatedly cutting his own face open and converting to Christianity for Fury or getting his entire upper body tattooed when he reteamed with David Ayer for The Tax Collector, which was ultimately panned by critics and sent straight to VOD.
Outside of his cinematic performances, the 34 year-old has also made some bizarre detours into the world of performance art, which have seen him frequently face accusations of plagiarism. The actor’s latest project is about as Shia LaBeouf as it gets, though, as he’s created an interactive play with musical elements that’s inspired by the current Coronavirus pandemic.
He doesn’t actually appear in 5711 Avalon, which is named after the parking lot where the drive-in experience is being held, but he did form the Slausen Rec Theater Company responsible for putting the show on and was heavily involved in the creation of the play. The basic thrust is that the story is all about COVID-19 testing methods, with all of the actors wearing full PPE.
This being a Shia LaBeouf production, though, 5711 Avalon also features a character that turns up in a car midway through, refuses to wear a mask and demands to speak to a manager, and ends with an interpretive dance number that sees the cast busting a move or two on various cars dotted throughout the lot. And no, we aren’t making this stuff up.
