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Film interview Transformers - Shia LaBeouf part 2
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Shia LaBeouf talks about some of the challenges of filming Transformers and working with Harrison Ford on Indiana Jones 4…
How was working with Michael Bay?
Shia LaBeouf: I know Mike pretty well. A lot of people say: "Mike's not an actor's director, Mike's an asshole and like a monster." I heard all these stories before I got into the movie but the Mike that I met wasn't any of those things. It depends on your sensibilities. If you're an actor who needs a hug in the morning don't do a Michael Bay movie. That's not him, that's not his sensibility. I don't need a hug in the morning. I like working with Mike and that tough guy, fast paced, machismo shit. I love it. It's a whole different mode for me.
Are you an Indiana Jones fan?
Shia LaBeouf: Huge! Who's not? It's the greatest franchise ever made in the history of the world.
How did Michael Bay compare to Steven Spielberg?
Shia LaBeouf: Very different. The script for Transformers might say "action sequence" and that's it. It won't tell you what's happening, so you start creating all that stuff. But my training for the stuff in Indy is very calculated. It's like a ballet, whereas Transformers is evasion and "watch that bomb". You have to be very knowledgeable about different kinds of grenades and bombs. Indy is very different. It's more strategy and calculation. The whole movie is made already because Steven has pre-envisaged the entire film. You can watch the movie right now before we shoot it. He's already storyboarded the whole thing, like a video game. That's very different to working with Mike, who makes the movie on set.
Did you enjoy doing your own stunts on Transformers and did it kind of prepare you for the physical challenge of Indy, given that Harrison Ford is renowned for doing it for real?
Shia LaBeouf: Oh God yes! He does it for real. There's stuff that Harrison's doing that you wouldn't believe that they're even letting him attempt. The stunt guys are so nervous, you know, sitting there going: "Harrison, maybe not, maybe not!" But he's like gung-ho about it, saying: "Don't worry, I got it!" He's a man's man. He showed up for rehearsal and jumped out of this helicopter onto a motorcycle. And then there's the whip training. He's a modern day Steve McQueen in person, for real. Indy isn't a big removal from Harrison for real. He is a super hero. In his off-time he saves boy scouts. That's what he does, so he is that guy. He's doing stuff I can't do and I'm 21.
But you did all your own stunts on Transformers...
Shia LaBeouf: On Transformers I did about 95%. There were certain shots I couldn't do. There was a shot on the roof that's for real, but there's another shot involving flames that I couldn't do. My stuntman got third degree burns all over his face and his back. But everything else is for real: that's really me on the building.
What was the hardest part of the Transformers process?
Shia LaBeouf: Having emotional connections to things that don't really exist, like looking at a green ball and really loving that green ball, and being sad whether it's around or not. Stuff like that. I've never done acting at this level before so it was a huge challenge for me. It was a hurdle to overcome just to survive.
Where do you see yourself in 30 years?
Shia LaBeouf: Train conductor [laughs], bag man at the grocery store... that's the stuff I dream about. I don't go to bed at night and dream about these fantastic things that normal people dream about... I dream about real, normal s*** such as fixing motorcycles because it's just not accessible at this point. That's stuff I can't have, so that's the stuff I dream about.
Interview: Rob Carnevale
Photo: Paramount
