News | Entertainment
1 Jul 2025 12:25
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Shia LaBeouf planned to join the Peace Corps because he thought his acting career was over

    The 33-year-old actor has endured turbulent times in his personal life and penned the screenplay for his autobiographical drama 'Honey Boy' - in which he plays his own dad - while in court-ordered rehab but admitted he expected he'd have to other people in the film as he was aware he wasn't receiving many offers of work


    Asked if he thought about casting anyone else as his dad, he admitted: "I didn't think I'd be able to play him, because I was not in a spot where people were like, 'Hey, let's put some money on this kid's back and have him carry a movie.'

    "I thought my acting career was done. I was going to join the Peace Corps."

    The 'Lawless' star had eyed Mel Gibson for the part instead - and even told his estranged father that the 'Braveheart' actor was going to portray him when he sought permission for the story to be played out.

    He continued: "So I sent it to Mel Gibson and luckily he never emailed me back and it gave me an opportunity. I thought he was the guy to play my dad, and my dad was thinking along the same lines.

    "And it's one thing to want to play your dad, it's another thing to go stand in front of your father after seven years of not talking and go, 'Hey, man, I'm going to play you', when there's contention already. So I lied to him and told him, "Mel Gibson's going to play you. Sign right here.

    "So my dad signed the paper under the auspices that he was going to be played by Braveheart."

    The 'Transformers' star - who is played by Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges in the film - recalled how he'd reached rock bottom when he started writing the film.

    Speaking about why he wanted to make the movie to fellow actors including Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx, Adam Driver and Adam Sandler in a roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, he said: "My back was against the wall. I was nuclear at this point. It felt like survival, like there was no other way to go. I didn't have a lot of people talking to me.

    "I was in a mental institution. And I also had a doctor who was pushing me to explore these dirty parts and write them down."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     29 Jun: Kneecap play Glastonbury set amid terrorism charge as police investigate crowd chants
     28 Jun: Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Harvey Weinstein cases test the limits and legacy of #MeToo movement
     27 Jun: Charlize Theron's daughter was reduced to tears by her mullet
     27 Jun: Demi Lovato is releasing her first cookbook
     27 Jun: Sharon Osbourne believes that Ozzy Osbourne's fans will "carry him" through Black Sabbath's farewell gig
     27 Jun: John Cena called out a fan for filming him without permission
     27 Jun: Tom Brady is reportedly set to attend Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's lavish Italian wedding
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Levi Aumua is departing the Crusaders after two Super Rugby seasons More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    China's EV newcomer Xiaomi sells nearly 300,000 SUVs in an hour More...



     Today's News

    Rugby League:
    Warriors reserve grade halfback Tanah Boyd's decision to reject an approach to join North Queensland in the NRL looks poised for reward 11:57

    Cricket:
    Proverbial white smoke has emerged from the Australian cricket team's HQ in the Caribbean on their West Indies tour 11:37

    Rugby League:
    Warriors' reserve grade play-maker Tanah Boyd views himself as a logical replacement if halfback Luke Metcalf is ruled out for the NRL season with a knee injury 11:27

    National:
    Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle? 11:17

    International:
    Musicians like Abel Selaocoe are broadening classical music to reflect our evolving stories 11:17

    Cricket:
    Black Cap Ish Sodhi's desperate to show his spinning evolution after earning a reprieve under incoming coach Rob Walter 10:47

    Environment:
    Warmer seas are fuelling the dangerous ‘weather bomb’ about to hit NSW 10:37

    National:
    Understanding the ‘Slopocene’: how the failures of AI can reveal its inner workings 10:27

    National:
    Sudan: foreign interests are deepening a devastating war – only regional diplomacy can stop them 10:17

    Law and Order:
    A 31-year-old man's been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to a homicide investigation in South Auckland's Otahuhu 10:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd