The Role Shia LaBeouf Regrets Taking
Any actor who's been in the business long enough has that one role or project that conjures the question: "Why did I sign on for that?" For some, the regrettable role came early enough in their careers that the lasting damage was minimal. For others, like Academy-Award winner Halle Berry's universally panned turn as the title character in "Catwoman," the damage occurred at the height of their success and they struggled to claw their way back to superstardom. In the case of Shia LaBeouf, he took on the role that has him wracked with regret both early in his career and at the height of his fame. He worked his way through supporting roles before headlining the 2006 thriller "Disturbia." It was LaBeouf's next role, as Sam Witwicky in Michael Bay's blockbuster "Transformers," that transformed him into a box-office powerhouse.
Riding that wave, LaBeouf appeared in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" as Mutt Williams, the son of and sidekick to Harrison Ford's titular Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, and it's a role the actor has been vocal about regretting.
Shia LaBeouf's criticisms led to a break with Steven Spielberg
In a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Shia LaBeouf admitted that he "dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished." While accepting partial blame for the worst-reviewed film in the "Indiana Jones" franchise, the actor included director Steven Spielberg in his criticism, saying that he also dropped the ball in the execution of the film. LaBeouf pointed to particular scenes — like swinging on vines with monkeys — that he (and many viewers) found over the top and not in line with the franchise's legacy. Those comments led to a fracture in LaBeouf's relationship with the acclaimed director.
Discussing his falling out with Spielberg, LaBeouf told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012 that the director replied to his criticism by saying there's a time to "have an opinion, and there's a time to sell cars." That response further disillusioned LaBeouf's view of his long-time idol. Then in 2016, LaBeouf told Variety that Spielberg is now "less a director than he is a f****** company." After Crystal Skull, LaBeouf starred in two more "Transformers" films. However, his negative experience making "Crystal Skull" subsequently led him to avoid big-budget blockbusters.