While He's At It, Shia LaBeouf Admits That Indiana Jones 4 Sucked Too

shia-main.jpg

We don't know if it's the fresh, sea air or perhaps some important life choices he's decided to make, but Shia LaBeouf simply cannot stop speaking truth to power. Scant days after telling the world he thought Transformers 2 was an ungodly mess, LaBeouf told reporters in Cannes that he believes that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was an unworthy entry in the series -- and that he doesn't care if Spielberg hears him complaining or not.

It's not just dear 'ol Shia who feels the audience got shortchanged by the fourth installment. According to him, he and Harrison Ford "had major discussions [and] he wasn't happy with it either," the actor told reporters at Cannes. But Shia, bless his heart, starts off trying to take on the lion's share of the blame:

"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."

Oh, Shia. What about the be-goitered monster who dreamed up such a lousy scene to begin with? Or who approved such risible dialogue as "But their treasure wasn't gold. It was knowledge. Knowledge was their treasure. " You don't want to spoon a little blame his way?

Fortunately, as Shia continued working through his shame, he was able to alight on additional culprit, director Stephen Spielberg.

"I'll probably get a call [from Spielberg]. 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."

Now, you can take this one of two ways. It's either a completely rational, lucid acceptance of the fact that the majority of moviegoers were deeply unsatisfied with the last installment of a beloved film series, and that their disappointments should be addressed in a forthright manner to re-establish a bond of trust. OR! It's merely a prelude to a hastily cobbled together, apologetic press release, blaming a combination of jetlag, misquotes, and, let's say, volcanic ash. Place your bets!

[Photo Credit: George Pimentel/Film Magic]

Cannes 2010: Shia LaBeouf: We Botched the Last Indiana Jones [LAT]



Comments

  • Kyle Buchanan says:

    I was not prepared for how Shia would look in a tux. I'm reevaluating some things right now.

  • TurdBlossom says:

    I'd hit it.

  • carg0 says:

    luckily for me, Indy 4 is like a repressed memory. my brain refuses to allow me to recall any of it and im quite thankful for that.

  • davem says:

    When can we expect his apology for Wall Street 2?

  • bess marvin, girl detective says:

    You even dream about having an inappropriate fantasy about him, I'll wake you up and stab you. Ahem.

  • Mike the Movie Tyke says:

    So what we're really getting at here is that Shia LaBeouf movies suck, which I already knew.

  • Colander says:

    Not even being a smartass, I probably would not have seen things on that level without this comment.

  • Matt says:

    I'm sure IDJ4 sucks, I won't see it. I enjoyed the others very much though. Any fool who sees the worthless Transformers movies deserves the absurd waste of time they're in for. Michael Bay is to Cinema what an aerosol "cheese"/Wonder bread sandwhich is to fine cuisine. And that's putting it very politely. If he were to be assassinated for the sake of art, I'd find it hard to harshly judge the perpetrator.

  • casting couch says:

    Shia's honesty makes me like him. Will we hear these comments if and when he's ever invited to participate on a DVD/BR commentary track?

  • Dave says:

    If he were really honest he wouldn't star in them. Didn't he know they were going to suck when he read the scripts? Unless he is a moron. Sorry Shia, but you are not honest. You wanted money because you know you are a hack actor whose 15 minutes are about up. You suck too.

  • Andy says:

    It sounds like Shia is becoming disillusioned with the movies he’s made but isn’t savvy enough to go about criticizing them in a manner which doesn’t come across as just publicity grabbing tactics. I am sure an apology will come at some point and maybe another lambasting of another movie he’s appeared in.

  • Haile says:

    Let's just agree to never speak of Indy 4 again. I'd really like to pretend there was no swinging from branches, nuking of fridges, or aliens of any sort. The series ended great after Harrison Ford saved Sean Connery with the Holy Grail. No other stories have been told since then. *fingers in ears* "lalalala"

  • Jazz says:

    "LaBeouf Admits His Performance in Transformers 2 and Indiana Jones 4 Sucked Too"
    Fixed.

  • Syd says:

    I didn't expect anything out of Transformers 2 but the Indiana Jones movies were amazing and I got really excited when I heard they were making another one. So the soul-crushing disappointment made Indiana Jones 4 way more painful.

  • Bob says:

    In the real world we call that burning your bridges

  • MartiniShark says:

    Shia LeBeouf itinerary for remaining week at Cannes:
    5/17 - Press conference about films predicting future events, where "Eagle Eye" is ridiculed as childish nighmare, "technology boogeyman" cinema.
    5/19 - Symposium guest speaker; "Classic Cinema Remade for Modern Audiences". Decries the dumbing down of Hitchcock for the "Disturbia" screenplay.
    5/20 - Panel discussion on childrens entertainment. Speaks out against the Disney family-values agitprop forced into the "Evens Stevens" franchise.

  • Lucas was the one who decided to have Aliens in the end of the 4th Indie. I thought the production quality, sets and caddy acting was very enjoyable til Lucas decided to put the "4th Dimensional Beings" at the end. Is there anything Lucas hasn't ruined after making the initial Star Wars trilogy?

  • Jimm Jo says:

    Yup, I would have to agree with him 100 percent!
    Lou
    http://www.total-anonymity.se.tc

  • Zach says:

    Shia's star power is waning as people realize he's got a little more acting ability than Michael Cera. At least Cera picks movies that match his ability, while Shia has no filtere for what's good and what's bad...

  • gh0st54 says:

    He should apologize for star wars episodes I, II and III
    someone has to and he might be the only one that will

  • Rob says:

    He complained about two movies he was in about how bad he said they were. I think he's trying to save his career by telling people how bad these movies so we won't see his acting. Then he slams two directors. Guess he's going for more B movie roles.

  • spicemeister says:

    I liked "The Battle Of Shaker Heights" most of all. It was bound to draw attention to the talented young lad who, if he plays his cards right (believe half the good and half the bad things people say about you) there is no reason you/he can't have it all.
    Having met many "celebs" in my line of work, the fact is: the majority of young up and comers tend to be rude, crude and lewd. Perhaps he is an exception. The older, more established movie people (Charlton Heston, Ron Howard and John Houseman (RIP) ..God, talk about a kick. Discussing the making of "Citizen Kane" and Orson Wells with Mr. Houseman or the making of Giant with Earl Holliman and his exploits with James Dean. Mr. LaBeouf..always be thinking 10 years down the road and trust only yourself.

  • Sarah says:

    The only constant in the sucky movies you make is you.

  • chris says:

    i personally liked disturbia and eagle eye and thought they were great hes got good acting potential just if you over hype a movie and it doesn't meet your impossible standards it kinda makes the director and movie stars seem a little worse than they are.

  • Bendro says:

    I liked Indiana Jones 🙁