Did Shia LaBeouf's Method Acting Go Too Far On "The Rooster Prince" In Oklahoma?

What is your most surreal moment on a film set? I worked with Shia LaBeouf on the Robert Redford film 'The Company You Keep' in 2012. It was on a set in Vancouver's city hall that was made to be a DMV license office. He had a funny interaction with an old Grip guy (on a ladder fixing a light) as Shia kept saying he looked like his Father. I don't think he knew who LaBeouf was, which made it even more hilarious.

With Shia LaBeouf being in the news for getting into fights and being arrested in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, Rolling Stone just released an article about how crew members on 'The Rooster Prince' in Oklahoma say that LaBeouf's method acting was out of control, specifically on how he treated director Josh Soskin and co-star Jackson White (Ambulance). LaBeouf plays a Bipolar Harvard Psychiatrist who goes on a road trip with his younger brother, played by White.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

“He was completely wild,” says one production member. “I don’t think he’s stable. I don’t know that he’s been stable for a while.”

"Five production sources tell Rolling Stone they perceived LaBeouf as adopting a Method-acting approach for the role, but three of the crew members asserted that LaBeouf blurred the lines. He would seemingly dip in and out of the technique (people still called him “Shia”), and they weren’t sure if his behavior could be attributed to the character or not. LaBeouf allegedly pushed the dynamic to the extreme, creating what one source describes as a “hostile” work environment."

“There’s Method acting, and there’s whatever the fuck happened on 'The Rooster Prince,' says a second production source. A third member adds that it was a running joke that rather than “Method acting,” it seemed like LaBeouf was “meth-head acting.”

"Crew members note that LaBeouf was generally friendly to the below-the-line production team. Background actress Elda Muniz says LaBeouf “was nothing but respectful to background,” and that she observed him being “down to earth” and “kind” to everyone he interacted with."

"He would often threaten to walk off set for the day or quit entirely, four crew members claim, and would constantly need to be talked down. LaBeouf’s outbursts, according to crew sources, were mostly directed at Soskin and his co-star, White, who he allegedly frequently belittled to others."

“He made a lot of comments regularly against Jackson, saying that ‘he couldn’t act and he can’t act for him,’” says a production source. “That was uncomfortable to be around, and it had a lot of us thinking, ‘What is it like for Jackson to be here at work and having to hear the person he has to work with every day constantly criticizing him and putting him down in that way?’”

What is your favorite Shia LaBeouf film? Comment below with your thoughts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfGMHpP-5Ws

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Source: Rolling Stone

Photo Credit: Paramount/Jiri Turek