Shia LaBeouf is many things to many people. To some, he will always be the fresh-faced kid from the kids’ movie Holes. To others, he will always be the hapless protagonist of the first three Transformers live-action films. And to everyone else, he is the “just do it!” main character of meme legend.
But this brings us to the big question: who is the real Shia LaBeouf? When you scratch past the Hollywood facade, you are left with a troubling history of alcohol, drugs, abuse, racism, and redemption. Keep reading to learn the truth behind this troubled actor.
Drunk driving arrest
The first live-action Transformers movie helped transform Shia LaBeouf into a household name. However, less than one year after that movie came out, he was making headlines for his drunk driving!
According to Today, he was arrested in July 2008 after a car crash that seriously injured the star’s hand or knee. Authorities reported the star was in West Hollywood when “his pickup collided with another vehicle.” When it was “immediately apparent” that the actor “was intoxicated,” he was arrested.
The previous year, a drunken LaBeouf was arrested for trespassing in a Wal-Greens that he refused to leave. This made it obvious that his struggle with alcohol was becoming an escalating problem.
