Transformers director Michael Bay has given insight into a conversation he had with Shia LaBeouf after the actor’s recent legal troubles.
The pair, who worked together on the first three films of the franchise, reportedly avoided talking about LaBeouf’s legal troubles, but had a warm exchange about the actor’s four-year-old daughter Isabel.
“I have not spoken to Shia probably in about six months,” Bay told TMZ. “He called me, and this was a very nice call he gave. He said he went on the Transformers Universal ride with his daughter. And he goes, ‘I finally saw our movies through my daughter’s eyes.’ And he said, ‘I cried.’”
Earlier this year, the actor was arrested after punching two men and head-butting a third at the R Bar in the New Orleans Marigny neighborhood on 17 February, during Mardi Gras. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery charges in June and was sentenced to two years’ probation, rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, sensitivity training and anger management classes.
Bay said he hasn’t “checked in” on LaBeouf, but that he looked back fondly on their time working together on the Transformers franchise, in which LaBeouf starred as Sam Witwicky.
“He’s a great guy and, you know, he’s a great actor,” Bay continued. “I had an amazing time working with him, and I think he’s a very good person.”
A video of the February 17 encounter showed a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate,” a New Orleans police report said.
One of the alleged victims said LaBeouf had pushed him from behind at the bar earlier in the night, shouting homophobic slurs and threatening his life.
LaBeouf’s attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, said in a statement after the guilty plea: “The police and DA investigation proved exactly what Shia LaBeouf said from the beginning — that this was nothing more than a minor Mardi Gras bar tussle.
“There is no evidence it was about bias or prejudice, which is why the state only charged these low level misdemeanors. Mr. LaBeouf came to court today wanting to take accountability for his part in what happened, and he has done so. Now he’s looking forward to focusing on family, work and new creative projects.”
The actor’s next hearing is scheduled for September 23, but LaBeouf is not expected to attend as he will be filming a movie. He could face up to six months in jail if he fails to complete the terms of his probation.
After the incident, the actor gave an interview to the online outlet Channel 5, and said he believes he needs to sort out his “small man complex” rather than undergo another rehab stint.
“I think I have a small man complex,” LaBeouf told Channel 5’s Andrew Callaghan.
He added: “I’m gonna address it … I think it’s something that has to do with anger and ego more so than my drinking, but that’s where I’m at now on my journey, and I’m trying to navigate it. I’ll figure it out.”
The actor has faced several run-ins with the law in recent years. In 2020, he was charged with misdemeanor battery and petty theft in Los Angeles.
That year, the English singer FKA Twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit alleging LaBeouf was physically and emotionally abusive to her during their relationship. The former couple settled the suit in July.
LaBeouf shares Isabel, four, with his ex-wife Mia Goth.
