His first big performance art piece - In 2014, LaBeouf and his collaborators debuted a performance art piece where visitors were reportedly first asked to choose either a whip, a bowl of Hershey's Kisses, a pair of pliers, a bottle of Brut cologne, a bottle of Jack Daniels, or a bowl of folded up notes bearing Twitter comments about him.

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It was called "#IAMSORRY" - Visitors were then led to a room where LaBeouf was seated at a table, in complete silence, with the famous not-famous paper bag over his head.

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Several arrests - He was arrested for trespassing in 2007, in 2008 for driving intoxicated, in 2011 for a bar fight, and in 2014 for disturbing a Studio 54 performance of Cabaret by reportedly slapping and spitting on people, and that's not even all.

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Rehab - In 2014, he started treating his alcohol addiction, and developed a passion for running. He posted pictures of his daily routes via a Nike app, and the routes ended up forming letters which spelled out the word "metamarathon."

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"#ALLMYMOVIES" - In 2014, LaBeouf watched every film he's ever appeared in, consecutively in reverse chronological order, in a non-stop screening over the course of three days, 24 hours a day, all the while live-streaming his face.

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"#ALLMYMOVIES" - The internet naturally went wild over it. A highlight was when he finished 'Transformers 3,' shook his head, and left the cinema for an hour.

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The #INTERVIEW - LaBeouf reached out to a journalist for Dazed after reading a piece she wrote about his work, and after weeks of digital correspondence he asked her to meet, which would be normal except…

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He wanted it to be in a metamodernist fashion - LaBeouf suggested that they meet with cameras on their heads, sitting across from each other for an hour, no questions asked, just connecting "on a soul level." You can watch the whole hour.

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His intense claims - During the Dazed interview, LaBeouf claimed that during #IAMSORRY, a woman whipped his legs for 10 minutes, then stripped and sexually assaulted him.

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Some clarifications by his team - Soon after his sexual assault claim, LaBeouf's collaborators Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö offered "important clarifications," including that as soon as they were aware of the incident starting, "we put a stop to it and ensured that the woman left," Turner tweeted.

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Failed rap career - In 2015, a video of LaBeouf 'freestyling' went viral, but he was called out for stealing lyrics from MC Pri the Honeydark. LaBeouf had gone on about his rap skills, calling himself the "best to do this" since Tupac.

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He wanted you to call him - In 2015, LaBeouf and his team launched #TOUCHMYSOUL, a project in which members of the public were encouraged to call them on a publicly listed number.

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It really touched him - At the end of the performance, Rönkkö tattooed the words "You. Now. Wow." onto LaBeouf's arm, a quote from one of the calls.

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Then he wanted to meet you - In 2016, LaBeouf, Rönkkö, and Turner started a new performance, #TAKEMEANYWHERE, in which they posted their coordinates online and encouraged members of the public to come meet them and take them anywhere. People could also track them online.

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The notorious rat tail - Though 'American Honey' was the rat tail's official film debut, it was the center of public attention for quite some time around 2015.

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The "just do it" video - A video went viral of LaBeouf losing his mind trying to motivate you, moving his body with an unsettling intensity. The internet went wild, especially since he was in front of a manipulatable green-screen.

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It was actually part of a performance art piece - LaBeouf was participating in a video art project called #INTRODUCTIONS for a London arts college, wherein each student had to write a short script for him to perform. It turns out this video was one of 36 he performed in one day.

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Getting political - On Donald Trump's inauguration day, LaBeouf and Jaden Smith launched a four-year-long performance art project wherein members of the public are asked to stand in front of a camera at New York's Museum of Moving Images, and say, "He will not divide us" for an online live-stream.

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More trouble with the law - The actor was arrested in 2017 for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, jeopardizing 'The Peanut Butter Falcon.' His angered costar Zack Gottsagen told The Guardian that he sat down with LaBeouf to talk it over and the pair cried.

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#ALONETOGETHER - In 2017, LaBeouf, Rönkkö, and Turner spent a month in three separate cabins in a remote part of Lapland, cut off from each other and the world, save for a video link to a small cabin installed in the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art.

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#ALONETOGETHER - In the cabin, the public could speak with the artists individually through text, though the artists could not communicate with each other.

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He addressed rumors about injuring Tom Hardy while naked - On 'Hot Ones,' LaBeouf explained that his 'Lawless' costar had run into his room as a prank but LaBeouf and his girlfriend were naked, so he ran after Hardy and they wrestled, playfully, but ultimately too close to the stairs.

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'Honey Boy' (2019) -

Seemingly working out his daddy issues on-screen, LaBeouf wrote and starred in a brutally honest tale of his childhood, inviting audiences to witness his trauma while putting himself in his father's shoes.

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His future aspirations -

In 2019, LaBeouf opened up to Dazed about co-founding a free-of-charge theater company called Slauson Rec., which opens its doors to anybody of any experience, as long as they have "a story that they're willing to share."

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First, let's remember the early days - After a poverty-stricken childhood, the young actor got his big break starring in the Disney show 'Even Stevens.'

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Not one for secrecy -

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His quasi-method acting - In 2013, his co-star in 'Charlie Countryman,' Rupert Grint, claimed the actor used LSD for real to film a scene.

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It gets worse - The actor soon tweeted, "I [messed] up," then proceeded to tweet apologies that were also plagiarized.

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Early retirement - In 2014, LaBeouf announced that, "In light of the recent attacks against my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life." Of course, that didn't last.

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The red carpet statement - To the 2014 premiere of his film 'Nymphomaniac,' he wore a bag over his head which read, "I am not famous anymore," which he'd also previously tweeted 22 times.

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It was called "#IAMSORRY" - Visitors were then led to a room where LaBeouf was seated at a table, in complete silence, with the famous not-famous paper bag over his head.

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"#ALLMYMOVIES" - The internet naturally went wild over it. A highlight was when he finished 'Transformers 3,' shook his head, and left the cinema for an hour.

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His intense claims - During the Dazed interview, LaBeouf claimed that during #IAMSORRY, a woman whipped his legs for 10 minutes, then stripped and sexually assaulted him.

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He wanted you to call him - In 2015, LaBeouf and his team launched #TOUCHMYSOUL, a project in which members of the public were encouraged to call them on a publicly listed number.

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It really touched him - At the end of the performance, Rönkkö tattooed the words "You. Now. Wow." onto LaBeouf's arm, a quote from one of the calls.

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The notorious rat tail - Though 'American Honey' was the rat tail's official film debut, it was the center of public attention for quite some time around 2015.

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#ALONETOGETHER - In the cabin, the public could speak with the artists individually through text, though the artists could not communicate with each other.

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'Honey Boy' (2019) -

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His future aspirations -

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Shia LaBeouf's most provocative moments

The disgraced actor turns 37 on June 11

09/06/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Career highlights

In 2019, Shia LaBeouf made his triumphant return to the screen, first with 'The Peanut Butter Falcon,' alongside Zack Gottsagen and Dakota Johnson, and then with 'Honey Boy,' the latter of which is autobiographical. In 'Honey Boy,' LaBeouf made the choice to play his own father and reenact his darkest childhood memories. It was a bold move, but one that we've come to expect from him.

Over his career, the star has never failed to surprise us. From provocative political art to head-scratching choices, he has been without a doubt one of the most interesting figures to ever shake up Hollywood. In January 2021, however, he landed himself in hot water after his ex-girlfriend, musician FKA Twigs, filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress in what was, she called, a relentlessly abusive relationship. Soon after, it was announced he would be stepping away from his acting career, and he was put on "hiatus" from his Hollywood talent agency CAA, ET reports.

The actor responded to the accusations in an email to The New York Times and said: “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”

Click through to see some of LaBeouf's most socially, personally, and morally challenging moments.