Shia LaBeouf is only 34 years old, but he’s already endured enough controversy and comebacks over the last two decades to last ten careers. Having broken into the mainstream as a child star before becoming a bankable box office draw as the leading man of several big hits, he looked to have cemented his position as Hollywood’s next big thing in the mid-2000s.
With the world at his feet, he instead turned his back on the studio system and sought to reinvent himself as one of the most dedicated and committed talents in the business, which he certainly did. LaBeouf goes to extraordinary lengths to get into character whether it be converting to Christianity for Fury, tattooing his entire chest for The Tax Collector or getting high as a kite for an online table read, but his eccentricities and destructive personality have also caused him plenty of problems.
There’ve been multiple accusations of plagiarism in relation to his performance art and numerous criminal charges including disorderly conduct, harassment, criminal trespass, public intoxication, obstruction, misdemeanor battery and petty theft. The most recent allegations have seen former partner FKA Twigs sue him for sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress, which he hardly denied when he released a statement in response.
This looks to be a major setback for a career that was firmly on the up and up, and may have torpedoed his viability for good after insider Daniel Richtman claimed that Shia LaBeouf is now being dropped from many of the projects he was either signed on to or in talks for, saying that WB, Netflix and DC were all discussing roles with him that won’t be coming his way any longer. It remains to be seen if he can recover from this, but the recent spotlight on Johnny Depp could give an indication of where his stock in the industry might be heading.
