Shia LaBeouf is making moves to fix his life following a lawsuit filed against him in December by his ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs, who accused the actor of physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. LaBeouf is now seeking inpatient treatment to focus on his recovery and get the help he needs and in the process, the actor and talent agency CAA have parted ways.
According to "Variety", CAA has not fired LaBeouf and the actor made the decision to seek inpatient treatment to deal with his issues because he knows he needs the help. While CAA has not fired LaBeouf, they currently aren't working with him and have not been working with him for about a month now. The fact that they haven't fired him outright signals that they think LaBeouf can get better if he focuses on himself for a bit. Redemption stories are very common in Hollywood, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw one here when the time is right.
The actor has reportedly been receiving treatment for a little over five weeks and his release will be dependent on his recovery in the program. What he's being treated for is unclear but he has had previous issues with alcohol addiction which resulted in a history of legal issues, arrests, and past stints in rehab. "Variety" also reports that LeBeouf had become difficult on sets and this poor behavior resulted in him being fired by director Olivia Wilde from her film Don't Worry Darling. He was subsequently replaced by Harry Styles.
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 the emergence of the abuse allegations put him on the outskirts of the industry once again.
The allegations in the lawsuit filed by FKA Twigs stated that "Shia LaBeouf hurts women. He uses them. He abuses them, both physically and mentally. He is dangerous". The details of the abuse from Twigs and another one of LaBeouf's former girlfriends, Karolyn Pho, are graphic in nature and were reported thoroughly by "Variety" when the story broke. LaBeouf did comment on the matter when the lawsuit went public and here is what he had to say at the time:
"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."
"Variety" points out that CAA's treatment of LaBeouf is different from how they handled recent claims against Marilyn Manson, who was dropped by the agency after actress Evan Rachel Wood accused him of abuse, and Armie Hammer, who was dropped by agency WME and his publicist as allegations of his domineering behavior and treatment of women continues to make headlines. I know these things are a very slippery slope but I feel like CAA is treating LaBeouf differently because he's making moves to get help and he's acknowledging that he has made mistakes and wants to get better. I don't discredit any of the accusations made against him because they deserve to speak their truth and their truth deserves to be acknowledged but I also believe that a lot of us aren't beyond redemption. LaBeouf's life and seemingly rough childhood have been well-documented and while that isn't an excuse for abusive behavior, it does explain why he fell into certain vices and behaviors that made him hurt others and himself. I really hope he comes out on the other side of this and not merely to reclaim his career but to achieve that personal happiness and recovery he desperately needs to make amends with those he has hurt and himself.
Do YOU think Shia LeBeouf can recover from his recent troubles?