Shia LaBeouf is one of those people you really want to root for because he has an immense amount of talent and potential, but it has been overshadowed by issues in his personal life that have been well-documented via the media. LaBeouf has made it no secret that he has an on-going issue with addiction and it's one that he's attempting to overcome but his past behavior hasn't been forgotten by those who have been at the center of it. Just recently, singer, dancer, and actress, FKA Twigs, who dated LaBeouf for roughly a year, filed a lawsuit against the actor in which she made allegations of severe physical and mental abuse against LaBeouf. According to "Variety", LaBeouf, who was seeing a career resurgence due to critically acclaimed efforts like The Peanut Butter Falcon and Honey Boy, found himself on Marvel's radar for a potential role but it appears that all was vanquished when these new abuse allegations went public.
"Before the lawsuit, Hollywood seemed to be willing to put LaBeouf's past behavior in the rear-view mirror. Following the success of Honey Boy, Marvel was even eying LaBeouf for a superhero role, according to reports that surfaced as recently as this summer, though, at the time, insiders told Variety that there was initial interest, but a meeting never took place and discussions never ensued."
LaBeouf achieved early initial stardom after appearing in films like Disturbia, Eagle Eye, and the Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises. The actor fell off the radar for a while due to his personal issues and what appeared to be a desire to distance himself from his more mainstream efforts. The latter reason, according to the actor, was by his choice to focus on smaller, more personal projects and this began a string of well-received notices in indie films like American Honey and The Peanut Butter Falcon. It appeared that LaBeouf was on the rise again and began to turn his life around but these recent allegations have appeared to put him on the outskirts of the industry once again.
Once the abuse allegations were disclosed, a report surfaced via Variety, that LaBeouf's reported exit from the Olivia Wilde-directed, Don't Worry Darling, was not due to "scheduling conflicts" as was reported back in September but due to fact that Olivia Wilde fired him for violating her "zero a-hole policy." The Variety report went on to say "Though shooting had not started yet when LaBeouf departed, insiders close to the project say LaBeouf displayed poor behavior and his style clashed with the cast and crew, including Wilde, who ultimately fired him." If this is to believed, LaBeouf may still be dealing with his own personal issues and is still in need of help to get a handle on them.
Since the abuse allegations went public, LaBeouf did release an initial statement responding to the lawsuit and while he denied many of the accusations, he did acknowledge that he was still seeking help to deal with his issues:
"Although many of these allegations are not true. I am not in a position to defend any of my actions. I owe these women the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done. As someone in recovery, I have to face almost daily reminders of things I did say and do when I was drinking. I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism, but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way."
I honestly hope that LaBeouf can get his life together. I think he has a lot of talent and a lot more to offer as a performer but that is nowhere near as important as getting him to a place where he feels mentally and emotionally stable. There is no excuse for his behavior if any of these allegations are true and all of those involved have a right to speak their truth but he seems like someone that can overcome his demons if he goes about it the right way. Hollywood is full of redemption stories he could very well be one of them when the time is right.
Do YOU think Shia LaBeouf's career can recover from the recent allegations?