In a world full of celebrities giving pat responses (or worse, being brutally candid and then trying to shift the blame), Shia LaBeouf is becoming something of an anomaly—a guy who doesn’t kowtow to the usual PR niceties, but not in a pissy, self-destructive, Russell Crowe kind of way. LaBeouf recently earned our respect by admitting that he didn't much care for last year’s Transformers sequel, but this weekend he took it to a whole new level in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, where he admitted that he had a hand in ruining Indiana Jones, saying, “I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished… You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg, who directed]. But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple.”
Even more refreshing, LaBeouf steps outside the usual Lucas/Spielberg “But the kids loved it!” party line and acknowledges that he’s certainly not alone in feeling that way, even roping in Harrison Ford (who, in reality, is probably too busy piloting choppers and birthing calves to give too much of a shit about what you thought of the film):
“I think the audience is pretty intelligent. I think they know when you've made … . And I think if you don't acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you're promoting a movie." LaBeouf went on to say he wasn't the only star on the film who felt that way. "We [Harrison Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted."
And as to whether LaBeouf is potentially putting himself in danger by daring to speak what’s on his mind even though it may offend his mentor Steven Spielberg, the man arguably responsible for LaBeoufing the world in the first place, he had this to say:
"I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I'm not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he's a genius, and he's given me my whole life. He's done so much great work that there's no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball.”
As long as he’s feeling unguarded, perhaps next someone could ask him about Eagle Eye?