There are few actors as bizarre and unusual as Shia LaBeouf. After headlining Michael Bay's first three Transformers films and provoking the ire of the geek world with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, LaBeouf was amongst the most disliked names in Hollywood's A-list. Then, at the start of 2014, things took a turn for the weird. During the promotional run for Lars von Trier's sex epic Nymphomaniac, LaBeouf's behaviour became increasingly erratic. At the Berlin Film Festival, he walked out of a press conference and later stepped onto the red carpet wearing a paper bag bearing the caption "I am not famous anymore". This, along with allegations of plagiarism, only served to increase animosity towards LaBeouf. He is now a weird sort of pariah for many, devoted to method acting and performance art. And yet, he takes a beefy role in David Ayer's war drama Fury in which he plays a Bible-wielding military man. He also headlines psychological romance film The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, which gets its UK release at the end of October. Given the lows he experienced earlier in the year, it's shocking how well LaBeouf is doing as 2014 comes to an end. It just goes to show that Hollywood is all about sticking out and making people remember your name.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
