A changed person.
Shia LaBeouf revealed that he is now a Catholic and a member of the Roman Catholic Church after studying for his upcoming movie, ‘Padre Pio’.
As he prepared to play the Italian priest, LaBeouf recalled finding himself in a very dark place following a string of scandals, including allegations of sexual assault and abuse.
“I had a gun on the table. I was out of here,” the 36-year-old Transformers actor said in a YouTube interview with Bishop Barron uploaded Thursday.
“I didn’t want to be alive when all this happened. Shame like I’ve never experienced before – the kind of shame that makes you forget to breathe. You don’t know where to go.”
The actor – who recently welcomed his first child with girlfriend Mia Goth – said he was going to live with Franciscan Capuchin monks to prepare for his role as the famous figure. This led him to find solace in the faith and religious community when he was isolated from the rest of society.
“The awarding had happened. I was already there, I had nowhere to go. This was the last stop of the train. There was nowhere else to go – in every way,” the Even Stevens actor told Barron.
“I now know that God used my ego to draw me to Him. To withdraw from worldly desires. It all happened at once. But there would have been no impulse for me to get in my car, drive up [to the monastery] if I didn’t think, ‘Oh, I’m going to save my career.’”
This revelation came after LaBeouf had several run-ins with the law in 2020 that left the controversial actor out of work.
The actor was charged with petty theft and battery after getting into an altercation that turned physical and stole a man’s hat.
Shortly after, he was sued by his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, who accused him of sexual assault, assault and inflicting emotional distress during their brief relationship. She claimed that the “Holes” actor once strangled her in the middle of the night, along with other examples of physical and emotional abuse.
Another ex-girlfriend of the actor also came forward with abuse allegations, claiming that he headbutted her once.
LeBeouf reflected on these allegations in the 90-minute interview, calling his actions “disgusting” and “depraved.” His previous decisions made the actor feel unworthy of seeking religion, but when he read the gospel, he felt an “invitation” to “let go”.
But it wasn’t until he met other people who had gone through similar struggles that the actor was able to fully embrace the religion.
“It was to see other people who have sinned beyond anything I could ever imagine, being found in Christ as well, that made me feel, ‘Oh, that gives me hope,'” he said. “I started hearing experiences from other depraved people who had found their way into this, and it made me feel like I had permission.”
Although LaBeouf’s mother is Jewish and his father Christian, it was only now that he felt strongly connected to a particular religion.
Recently, Olivia Wilde explained that she fired LaBeouf from her movie “Don’t Worry, Darling” to make sure her cast and crew were kept safe. She then cast Harry Styles, who she is now dating.