Shia LaBeouf on Steven Spielberg: “He dropped the ball” on Indiana Jones

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Last Friday, I did a post about Shia LaBeouf and whether or not he was disrespecting the Transformers franchise. Shia is in Cannes, and throughout many of the interviews, Shia has been fielding questions about his part in the Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises, and Shia is a little Mickey Rouke-esque truth-teller, it seems. To be fair to Shia, his comments about Transformers 2 weren’t even that disrespectful, and Shia did take responsibility for his part, sort of. But now I’m wondering if Shia just needs to shut it – he was asked about his part in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Shia said something insinuating that Steven Spielberg “dropped the ball”. OH NO. Well, it was nice meeting you, Shia. You seemed really talented. It’s a shame you’re going to be thrown out of Hollywood.

It’s official: Shia LaBeouf has no filter. While hardly no one can blame the ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ actor for recently saying he “wasn’t impressed” with the Michael Bay-helmed ‘Transformers 2,’ his latest comments about another film and its much-more-famous director may actually catch some heat. Interviewed at the Cannes Film Festival, LaBeouf came right out and said he was saddened by 2008’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,’ saying he and everyone involved — including director Steven Spielberg — “dropped the ball” on the blockbuster sequel.

“I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished,” LaBeouf told the LA Times, apologetically. “If I was going to do it twice, my career was over.”

Oh, and LaBeouf wasn’t the only principle actor bummed out by the movie.

“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.”

While the film may have been a financial success, earning nearly $800 million worldwide, LaBeouf believes Spielberg needs to hear it from a friend that ‘Skull’ was a mess. He urges the director to not let one bad movie get to him.

“I’ll probably get a call [from Spielberg],” LaBeouf rightly predicts. “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.”

LaBeouf fully admits he wasn’t very convincing as a leather jacket-wearing action hero, saying he just wasn’t up to the task.

“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]. 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.”

LaBeouf begins filming the third ‘Transformers’ movie on Tuesday, but last week he said he “wasn’t really impressed with ‘Transformers 2′” and that despite having “some really wild stunts,” the flick’s “heart was gone.”

On Michael Bay, who directed ‘Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen’ and will also helm the third film: “Mike went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie.”

[From PopEater]

Ugh… okay, now that I’ve read his full comments, I still think it’s pretty bad. Was the last Indiana Jones movie good? Not really. But I enjoyed it for what it was – a cheesy action-adventure film in which I could point out which stunt men were doing Harrison Ford’s stunts. Did they need to make a new Indiana Jones? Of course not. But they did, and while it wasn’t great or even good, it was solid enough for what it was. My point? Shia needs to shut it. Megan Fox has rubbed off on him, and he needs to respect his elders. You never speak a word against Steven Spielberg, for God’s sake. Enough.

Meanwhile, Lainey at LaineyGossip says that while Wall Street 2 wasn’t a God-awful film, it wasn’t really good either. But she’s in love with Shia, especially Shia and Carey together. Speaking of, Oliver Stone is taking credit for Carey and Shia’s hookup, and there are twenty million photos of the two of them being sweet together in Cannes. Here are some of them:

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63rd Cannes Film Festival - Stairs of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Day 3

Carey & Shia in Cannes on May 15, 2010. Credit: Spread/Fame. Promotional image of Shia and Harrison Ford from the last Indiana Jones film.

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59 Responses to “Shia LaBeouf on Steven Spielberg: “He dropped the ball” on Indiana Jones”

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  1. bros says:

    ugh

    you never hear high calibre actors doing this kind of sunday morning quarterbacking. daniel day lewis doesnt even watch his movies after they are done shooting because his part in the film is ‘over’ and its not up to him anymore. johnny depp doesnt either. meryl? no. Tom hanks? no. these little entitled brats like le boofant and katherine hagle and megan footinmouthfox are always running their damn mouths. STFU and maybe one day you will be a real actor.

  2. original kate says:

    funny, i don’t hear meryl streep blaming her directors for crapfests like “mamma mia or “its complicated.” then again i don’t see shia doing anything like “sophie’s choice”, either. meryl just acts her ass off, collects her check, does her junkets and keeps quiet about her real feelings. et tu, shia?

  3. Melanie says:

    I hope he enjoys his career as a movie critic. He is a poofer.

  4. Bee says:

    We can’t really blame Shia for this can we? I mean he is such an “artist”, with such venerable works like Holes, Disturbia, and Transformers 1 and 2 under his belt. We mere peasants can not possibly know how he suffers to create such masterpieces, and is then let down by inexperienced hacks like Steven Spielberg. I know I feel his pain. When he was staring at Megan Fox’s ass while she was working on his car in transformers, I felt a tear come to my eye it was so moving. Those lightweights Brando and DeNiro could never have pulled of ass staring with such conviction. He is the light, the dark, and the future of cinema! He is “the beef.”

  5. N.D. says:

    There was nothing disrespectfull in what he said about Spielberg, quite the opposite. And Indiana Jones 4 indeed wasn’t a good movie. And I’m pretty sure Spielberg knows that and have heard that from Shia himself (and others) before. Don’t see why the need to make some drama out of this pretty simple and innocent situation.

    Another thing is I actually like it when people are honest once in awile and not 100% PR manufactured.

  6. Lenore says:

    I don’t know, I think he was kind of respectful and honest, really. Who says actors shouldn’t be honest when looking back at their own work? He’s not some brat dissing his meal ticket, he’s just acknowledging that it wasn’t a film he feels proud of. I’d much rather that kind of honest analysis than endless prattling about what a great time they had, and how much everyone loved each other, and blah blah blah…

    Crystal Skull DID suck. It really did. I’m not one of the fans who wails about how “they raped my childhood!” with it, but it was a dumb, anticlimactic mess that felt like a bad fanfic of Indiana Jones, and a waste of a phenomenal cast.

  7. Lady Nightshade says:

    I could understand his comments more if had made even one movie that wasn’t certain to be a crapfest. I mean, did he really sign on to a movie subtitles “money never sleeps” and expect it was going to be serious drama?

    He needs to go back to the Disney channel

  8. MMF says:

    Is Carey from Oz?

  9. Obvious says:

    i don’t think his comments were that bad. once again he admits part of it was his fault. and even if he is a bit disrespectful has anyone else noticed that his arguments are well thought and and fairly articulate? he doesn’t go off saying people or hitler, he says here is my opinion and why. kudos.

  10. RobN says:

    Actually I can’t really stand Shia, but these comments make me respect him a bit. The movies did suck and I like the fact that he recognizes it. The last Indiana Jones movie was awful and it just made me kind of sad that they would tarnish the series that way. I’m less impressed with actors who try to sell you crap like it’s the next Gone With The Wind.

  11. freckles says:

    I love Shia. Maybe he went a bit too far here, but it doesn’t bother me personally. I agree with those above who say that they appreciate honesty in an actor. I guess it’s the same reason I like Amanda Seyfried… you just don’t get the feeling that either of them have a hand up their ass and a ventriloquist behind them.

  12. Kaboom says:

    Actually I thought Shia was pretty good in that movie, however the script wasn’t very convincing as were some action sequences.

  13. meme says:

    @MMF – “Is Carrie from Oz?” ROTFLMAO

  14. Jimmy Dean says:

    Like we needed LeBeouf to tell us this?

    it was easily the worst sequel since Matrix Revolutions

  15. Bonnie says:

    ITA with Obvious. I liked his comments and how thought out they are. I saw Indiana Jones and it was a movie I enjoyed up until you got to the end and they had aliens. Seriously, Mr. Spielberg, seriously!! I mean I know he’s a alien fan but that was a bit much. So I respect Shia’s comments. He’s not making bratty comments like Megan Fox did, they are quite intelligently made.

  16. Roma says:

    Aliens. That’s what ruined Indiana Jones… aliens.

    Edited: @Bonnie, same thought, same time!

  17. toto says:

    when we tell the truth about a somone we appreciate and friends with usually we make it between 2 eyes , not declare it to show we r honest bcaz we could be honest n faithful n protectie if it remains between those who r concered of the comment

  18. Melanie says:

    Good point at #17.

  19. lucy2 says:

    IJ4 was not great (aliens ruined it, I agree) but I don’t see any of the other actors complaining or feeling the need to publicly comment about it.
    It’s one thing to recognize that it wasn’t the best film, but another to sort of talk down to the director, which I feel like he’s doing here.
    If Harrison was the one saying this, it would be different – they’ve been friends outside of work for decades, worked on all 4 films together, and are pretty much equals in terms of career and experience. For some young guy really still beginning his career, a supporting character new to the franchise, to give Steven advice, and say stuff like “he needs to hear this”? Come on.
    And I totally agree that if they’re such close buddies that Shia feels OK saying this stuff, it should have been discussed over lunch, not during press coverage of an unrelated project. Unprofessional.

  20. Bodhi says:

    i don’t think he was out of line at all. IJ4 DID suck & Spielberg DID drop the ball. As stated above, I’d much rather hear an actor being honest than one just kissing ass

  21. Tia C says:

    While I agree with some here that Shia’s comments were not the ignorant Megan-Fox-type variety, he is still being WAY too honest. Who asked him, anyway? Just do your films, move along to the next project and keep your mouth shut. There’s no need for hindsight wallowing.

  22. Kitten says:

    Oh come on…his comments weren’t that bad. He’s just keeping it real. I like him!

  23. JJ says:

    “Who asked him, anyway?”

    Presumably, some interviewer DID ask him. I doubt he was just spouting off on the streetcorner.

    And . . .his comments WERE accurate, and he DID take blame for it, also.

  24. Tess says:

    Honesty aside, he definitely comes off as condescending towards a director who has already earned his stripes in the industry. And what’s so gutsy about saving the critiscism of a movie for years down the line once all of the money has been milked out of it? He’ll likely do the same for this movie and Transformers 3. Maybe he’d find himself with less to complain about if he had better taste in scripts.

    And frankly including himself as another person to blame is an obvious token gesture.

  25. oxa says:

    “One Hand Luke” needs to shut up or the good directors will no work with him.

  26. Lucinda says:

    He was respectfully honest but he still should have kept his mouth shut. That is the kind of stuff you just don’t need to say in public and shouldn’t. Because no one really cares what you think of the film and all that happens is you come off looking like an ass. Compliment in public. Criticize in private.

  27. Iggles says:

    I liked Crystal Skull.. though now I probably won’t be able to watch it without thinking how much a twit Shia is..

  28. Chico says:

    WAIT, he can’t act, yet he thinks it’s OK to criticize Speilberg for HIS faults? What did he expect from a PT 4 sequel? That it would be Schindler’s List?

    You never see Harrison Ford saying a bad word about directors. WHY? Because Ford is smart, and he knows that publically humiliating a director ensures that you don’t work again. You tell the person on the set when they can fix it, but not afterwards, when it’s too little, too late.

    And, his tone is unbelievable. “He needs to know.” From you? What have you accomplished?

    Seriously, I’ve just lost all respect for him. At least Speilberg has done a number of good movies (Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, etc). Shia has done nothing to be proud of as an actor. And, he sounds like an idiot to boot. The fame has gone to his head.

  29. Ally says:

    Well, the casting of the dweeby LeBeouf* is the main reason I couldn’t bring myself to see Indy 4 (though the first is one of my favorite films of all time), so I agree with him. I still can’t stand that radio-face, though, so I’m glad these comments will lead to the speedier demise of his undeserved career prominence.

    * After River Phoenix, seriously? Ugh, where did that casting acumen go?

  30. Devries says:

    Heh, look at all the anonymous jackasses telling Leboof he needs to shut up.

  31. Tess says:

    Thanks Chico for stating the obvious. For me it’s not really the comments themselves but who they are coming from. This kid has done one bad movie after another but feels he is in a position to publicly criticize Steven Spielburg of all people.

    People forget that there is a reason why actors keep their mouths shut when it comes to openly criticizing directors. Its called self-preservation. Pure and simple. Same reason why people don’t criticize their old bosses when interviewing for new jobs. At least the smart and savvy ones don’t.

  32. aury says:

    i agree w/ #20. the movie royally sucked… it just didn’t have the same same magic as the previous three. hope that spielberg pulls his head out of his when he makes the fifth one.

  33. Sarah says:

    @Jimmy Dean

    I couldn’t agree more

  34. Ling says:

    He’s a kid who’s been in this business his whole life, and well-behaved his whole life, and damn talented his whole life. Nobody’s ever felt the need to dress him down, so he grew up cocksure and this happens. Hopefully, he’ll realize his mistake when Spielberg does call him, “inevitably” as he claims, and somewhere down the yelly accusatory line, Shia will realize that Spielberg is his elder, NOT his buddy, and does NOT need to be told how to direct a blockbuster, dang nabbit.

  35. Whuh? says:

    Good for Shia. Both movies sucked. It’s nice to hear an actor admit his part in the failure. Too bad you’ll never hear the directors doing the same.

    As for what he said about Spielberg – truth hurts, but it’s pretty damned sad that only a 24 year-old kid has the balls to tell Spielberg his caca stinks as much as the next person’s.

    Regarding Shia contracting Megan Fox’s foot in mouth disease – the difference is that Shia is A STAR – MF is NOT. They’re his movies. She’s merely window dressing – and overly-plasticized window dressing at that. She needs to shut her gob because she doesn’t have the box office clout to back it up and she sure is hell will never be Angelina Jolie no matter how hard she tries.

    And BTW, Harrison Ford did ALL of his own stunts in Crystal Skull. So whoever you think you’re seeing is your imagination.

  36. Shawna says:

    I hope he continues to get roles. Dating Carey Mulligan made me think twice about him: maybe there’s something in him if he appreciates The Mulligan. All I knew about him before was that he sucked in IJ4 and had a DD past, and so I wrote him off, but seeing him with Carey makes me want to watch his future.

  37. Tia C says:

    @ JJ: You are a regular rocket scientist, aren’t you?! Obviously an interviewer must have asked him, but I tend to doubt that anyone asked him to go into THAT much detail and/or get THAT honest regarding the hand that feeds him. That is all I meant by “Who asked him anyway?”

  38. dread pirate cuervo says:

    Crystal Skull wasn’t Temple of Doom, but Temple of Doom was also a giant cheese-fest which is why I’ve loved it for 20-something years. Shit-talking on Michael Bay is one thing, but for the sake of your career, leave the Spielberg alone, kid. B/c seriously, if dropping the ball makes $800 million, I’d gladly drop balls all day long!

  39. sonola trip says:

    This is a major mistake by Shia. It is one thing to air your honest views to your director privately, but QUITE ANOTHER to call someone out publicly. Do not do it and expect to keep your career. All the A-listers mentioned above know this. They keep their private concerns private and publicly support their fellow colleagues. It’s called being a professional. Harrison Ford would never do this and he and Spielberg really are friends.

  40. Bonnie says:

    All of these people that are slamming Shia for being honest, yet articulate in his criticism and how he needs to not knock the Director I have only one question: What about when the Director slams an actor?

    Because Kevin Smith slammed Bruce Willis for Cop Out and I remember when that was covered here on CeleBitchy that all the comments said they loved Kevin for speaking his mind about Bruce.

    So are Directors allowed to slam actors but actors can’t slam Directors? Or is it just that you can’t slam the almighty Spielberg. Granted I love Spielberg and always will but there needs to be some fairness here. Or better yet is it that you hate Bruce Willis so seeing him slammed was pleasurable? Why the praise for a Director slamming an actor when the opposite is done for the actor slamming a Director??

    Roma: I’m sorry for stealing your comment 🙂

  41. seadess says:

    DO you guys read? He blamed it on HIMSELF as well and took responsibility!

  42. Chico says:

    I can’t believe people sticking up for him, while so many slammed Fox and Heigl for the same thing. A guy can say what he wants, but the girls should shut their mouths and be grateful? HUH?
    I hate the obvious double standard.

    And, the “whole the star can say what he wants” excuse is very offensive, as this lame excuse has been used to justify a lot of bad behavior.

    In general, it’s polite NOT to publically criticize others, esp. when there’s no point. If people want to know the movie stinks, they can go to rottentomatoes, and read the reviews.

    Criticizing a reputable director, only makes him sound negative and bitter–even if he included himself in the critique–it doesn’t excuse him one bit, IMO. Now I know why many posters call him Shia LaDouche.

  43. birdgherl says:

    This bitch just committed career suicide by dissing Spielberg. Is he nuts?? And what’s with all of this serious actor BS when all he seems to do are sequels??

  44. LTHawk says:

    I find it refreshing when people tell the truth instead of spewing the same old bullshit.

  45. LTHawk says:

    @Chico If you don’t like people getting publicly criticized for no reason I would suggest staying away from gossip blogs.

  46. crash2GO2 says:

    His whole point with those comments was to paint himself a great chum of Speilburg. Period. As I hear he is a pain in the ass to work with, I doubt much more will be heard from him in future.

  47. captbilly says:

    Labeouf is a lousy actor, so, yes he did drop the ball on every movie he has made. To be fair he was ok in the first Transformers, because he played a wimpy, sort of nerdy, not too bright guy to a tee… probably because that come naturally to him. Where Spielberg dropped the ball was in thinking that LaBeouf could play an Indiana Jones sort of character in the first place.

  48. Shay says:

    Some actors can’t shut up. Mickey Rourke had to learn the hard way, to wake up to the fact that directors like Spielberg don’t care about what they think when they can find actors at the drop of a hat – if they really need to. Look at how Megan Fox was ‘chosen’. lol
    She’ll become a nobody eventually, but Michael Bey will keep on directing.
    These younger actors think they are the shit, but they don’t take any pointers from actors who have been in the game longer, who keep working – like Meryl Streep. Not all of her films are great. Mamma Mia wasn’t what can be called groundbreaking film, neither was It’s Complicated (as mentioned in a previous comment). Personally, I didn’t like Julie & Julia – I liked Meryl in it, but hated ‘Julie’ and well, ‘another blog’ into book into movie. Big deal. But Meryl doesn’t complain. Neither do the other actors.
    I think that if actors sign to play in a film, then they should STFU and just work. If they’re ‘creativity’, ‘art’ and morals go against the film content, then why do they sign? The money and the fame. Then they have the gall to bitch and moan. Poor Shia…Awww…
    He’s just a whiner.

  49. Orbit says:

    Who is this twat and what has he done? I like how actors read lines, have a bit of commercial success, then suddenly they’re Orson Welles. LaBeef can’t even drive well.

  50. Chico says:

    LTHawk: Huh? I was talking about LaBeef dissing Speilberg. I just said it’s bad form for him. He won’t get work if he keeps that up.

    People criticizing others on the internet is different. We are anonymous. Our opinions aren’t that public. Only a select few read or care about what we say.

  51. Ashryn97015 says:

    Hey Shia,
    Why don’t you try writting & directing movies for over 20 yrs THEN open your pie hole. Of course Indiana was cheesy. Did he not see any of the other movies first before he got involved with this one? Regardless to weather he blamed himself or not, it’s not cool to run your mouth about a director who you’ve only worked with, what? Once? Twice? Gimmie a break, honey.

  52. For Sooth? says:

    Considering the movie tanked I would consider this to be a fair assessment.

  53. Milan says:

    Yep, he’s Morgan Fox alright. There is a way to criticise a movie without dissing the director who worked hard to make you relevant. STF MF, why not criticise yourself for being a whore and taking money from johns, even if you don’t like what you’ll be asked to do.

  54. Pete says:

    Shia has a face like a chubby teenage boy, looks not handsome AT ALL, is the most overrated actor of our time and he is a douche of the dimension of John Mayer. Why, I ask, WHY are ppl a) in love with him and – way more important – b) still hiring him to do movies if he’s just as grateful as our beloved Megan Fox?

    Same goes for Mischa Barton…

    Anyone cares to explain?

  55. Cletus says:

    I don’t care, I love him. If They run him out of Hollywood, he can come live with me. I will take care of him forever and ever because he is my precious little lamb.

    But he can’t bring the Lullaby League reject with him.

  56. Alexis says:

    YES, he did…and we’ve all said that…BUT WE WEREN’T IN THE FREAKING MOVIE. Do these people know Hollywood is like high school? Careful what you say.

  57. whatever says:

    The movie made $800 million worldwide. So, Shia cashes in, become rich and famous, and NOW, trashes the director? Hey, Shia, since you’re being “honest” and all–why don’t you also admit you are a lousy actor with no class. NOW, give the people who saw your crappy movies their money back! That would only be fair, since you’ve admitted they are pieces of shit, like yourself.

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  59. Lacy Brucki says:

    I haven’t checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting stale, but the last few posts are really good so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend. 🙂