APRIL 11, 2007ÑWith his days as a Disney poster child now behind him, Shia LaBeoufÕs out to prove he can do more than dig Holes in the middle of the desert.
After excelling in two very adult roles in last yearÕs Bobby and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, the 20 year old is making a smooth transition from Mouse House teen star to Hollywood leading man. And he could cement his status as one of Tinsel TownÕs hottest young actors with his new thriller, Disturbia (April 13), and two potential summer blockbusters, the CG-animated SurfÕs Up (June 8) and director Michael BayÕs big-screen version of Transformers (July 4). LaBeouf also will join Harrison Ford in the next Indiana Jones sequel.
Though not a remake of Rear Window, Disturbia certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to Alfred HitchcockÕs classic thriller. While under house arrest, LaBeouf believes he witnesses his neighbor (David Morse) commit murder. With the help of the beautiful girl next door (Sarah Roemer), LaBeouf tries to unmask Morse as a serial killer without violating the conditions of his house arrest.
During a recent trip to Miami, before his casting in Indiana Jones 4 was officially announced, LaBeouf shared his thoughts on:
The decision to star in Disturbia
I didnÕt even hear Disturbia. I heard D.J. Caruso, who in my lexicon of film is No. 10 with The Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is one of the sickest movies IÕve ever seen. So I wanted to work with him. I made this movie as a two-picture thing with Transformers. So [I] was going to be working for the next year. That was the spiel. So it was D.J. and Transformers. Disturbia wasnÕt even the thing. It was D.J. Then I heard that David Morse was going to be in it. That was a big deal for me. David Morse is one of the best character actors on the planet. Then I read the script, but I had already made up my mind. I want to work with the guy. Then I read Disturbia, and it read like Rear Window. Or Straw Dogs. Or The Conversation. These voyeuristic, locked-in-the-house types of films, and they are usually character driven. So it was going to be a cool little mix for me, where I could go do this huge blockbuster and go do this little character piece. So that was the goal.
Disturbia being Rear Window for Generation Y
The initial ideaÑletÕs make a Rear Window for people who havenÕt seen itÑwas a big deal for me. Not that we were going to reintroduce it or remake it. There are some similarities. [But] calling us Rear Window is like calling The Cincinnati Kid The Hustler.
Comparing Disturbia to Rear Window
Basically, itÕs [about] a person being locked up in a house, in solitude, traipsing on other people because heÕs scared to look at himself, which I think we dove deeper in than they did in Rear Window. Rear Window was a big romance with aspects of a thriller. But it was a romance for the most part. Our movie jumps around. ThereÕs parts of our movie thatÕs like Say Anything. ItÕs got that Cusack vibe, but itÕs rooted in reality. ThereÕs a thriller, thereÕs a romance. ItÕs a genre jumper.
What he took away from talking with people under house arrest
IÕve met people in jail before. ItÕs a different thing. Being in jail you have something to look forward to. They can count their days. You have a list; you can check things off. When youÕre on house arrest, itÕs like dangling meat in front of a dog. Everything is available to you. ItÕs all there but you canÕt touch it. ItÕs not tangible; you canÕt grasp it. It sucks. They get this OCD thing where theyÕll rip their room apart. Then theyÕll clean their room. Then theyÕll rip it apart again. Then theyÕll clean it again. They do that constantly. I saw three or four guys with the same traits. Two were adults; two were my age [20]. One was a female, and she was one who had the OCD clean-destory-clean-destory [behavior] and alphabetically arranging her CDs. Just insanity. You have nothing but time on your hands. The dude masturbated a lot. ItÕs just the truth of it. HeÕs a 17-year-old kid. ThatÕs where your headÕs at. You have nothing but the Internet.
Transitioning from Disturbia to Transformers
Disturbia came first, so while I was making Disturbia I was training for [Transformers]. Transformers was a whole different thing. I was doing both at once. Disturbia is darker; Transformers is reactionary. ItÕs not like you have to mind screw yourself to get there. How do you react if a helicopter fell on you? TheyÕll drop a helicopter on you and you react. ItÕs not like you have to sit for six hours and figure out how it feels to lose a father. ItÕs a different process and both enjoyable.
Where his career is heading thanks to the one-two punch of Disturbia and Transformers
You come from the Disney Channel, people donÕt want to talk to you. It kinda sucks. That was my jump off, thatÕs where I started. I couldnÕt pick and choose. Now I can. Then I couldnÕt. So doing a movie like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints helps me a great deal. ItÕs day and night. Diversity brings more jobs. Execution and diversity bring even more. So IÕm lucky and fortunate to be working with great people who execute.
The prospect of being a part of the Indiana Jones franchise
Dude, itÕs crazyÉ. ItÕs huge. ItÕs classic. ItÕs like being on The Chronic album. ItÕs something you can never touch again. ItÕs just a classic. YouÕre going to go back and somehow find your way.
His place in Hollywood
I donÕt want to be a type because thatÕs the end of my career. The minute I become that dark type or the funny type, IÕm screwed because then I canÕt do anything else. Constantine and I, RobotÑ[I played] similar characters, but they were stepping-stones. They were written by the same writer. So, for me, that was the lowest part of my career. I felt, Here we go, now IÕm being shoe boxed. IÕm lucky now to not be in that position. It takes times. I donÕt know whatÕs going to happen next year, or next month. IÕm just lucky right now.
Being a young, rising star who doesnÕt make the gossip columns
ItÕs a choice. ItÕs not something that just happens to you. You choose to do that, you choose to be involved in that life, you choose to go to clubs, you choose to hang out at The Ivy. ItÕs not like itÕs the only place in Hollywood to eat lunch. Hollywood is not the only city in Los AngelesÉ. IÕm not a personality, and I donÕt want to be a personality, because thatÕs garbage. ThereÕs no substance to that at all. I want to be an actorÉ. IÕm in a position now, with the way the press is now, that I lose my mystery right away. Mysterious actors are cool, and theyÕre great. Johnny Depp is mysterious. HeÕs a great actor partly because heÕs great and partly because your perception is that heÕs great. Perception is almost as important as your skill. If I start doing the Hollywood club scene, then IÕm a loser. IÕm trapped. Then I have no substance. My perception messes with my skill level, and then itÕs all crap.
Hosting Saturday Night Live on April 14
For a dude that came from comedy, it doesnÕt get bigger than that. ItÕs the biggest thing you can possibly get to.
Disturbia opened April 13. Click here for more information.
Click here to read Shia LaBeouf discuss Surf's Up and Transformers.
