Shia (Shy-a) LaBeouf (La-Buff). You’re going to hear that name a lot this summer. Not only is he starring in “Disturbia,” opening this Friday (April 13), but later, he has a small, independent film called “Transformers” opening up on the Fourth of July weekend (note the sarcasm). Before we sat down at the Peninsula Hotel for the interview, there was a moment we passed each other in the lobby and did the head nod. The moment fit. He’s a completely normal 20-year-old in an extraordinary situation. He’s got that everyman quality and it shows in “Disturbia.” LaBeouf plays a kid under house arrest who begins to study his neighborhood since he’s stuck at home. Not only does he try and win over the girl next door, he begins to think his other neighbor just might be a killer.
We talked about his childhood, getting to sit down with Steven Spielberg and his upcoming gig on “Saturday Night Live.” LaBeouf even addresses the “Indiana Jones 4” rumors, where he supposedly is playing Harrison Ford’s son.
Bayer: D.J. Caruso is the director of “Disturbia,” Was it odd to call a grown man D.J.? Shia: For a while, yeah, and then we called him Deej.
Bayer: He said he was amazed at how you prepared for the role. What did you do before you started filming? Shia: I hung out with a bunch of people under house arrest. All ages, too. There was a 30-year-old guy and a female who was 17. There was a guy who was 15; another guy around my age, at 22. And they all do the same stuff, no matter what the age or sex. First thing, you go through everyday things like you clean a little bit. Then you start rearranging furniture. You get into this Martha Stewart OCD thing, like how do I make this a better space to live in? Then you push everything against the walls so you have more space. Then [you] cram everything together so it’s all easily accessible. It’s all tear down and clean up.
Bayer: Carrie-Anne Moss co-stars in the film. Were you ever thinking, “Oh my God, it’s Trinity (from‘The Matrix’)?” Shia: That, and she’s playing my mom. Do you guys really buy her as my mom? But she is in mommy mode at that point. She had a kid and was breast-feeding. It wasn’t the Trinity I knew. She was a vulnerable Trinity.
Bayer: Are you looking forward to increasing the population of high school peeping tom’s after they see this movie? Shia: Look at MySpace; it’s all voyeurism. Facebook, MySpace — it’s already happening. I’m a part of it. It’s my age group.
Bayer: You’re in a lot of Steven Spielberg projects right now (he produced both “Disturbia” and “Transformers”). Do you spend a lot of time with Spielberg? Shia: Yes and no. I mean, how much time is a lot to spend with Spielberg? You spend an hour with Spielberg and it’s like, wow. You get one handshake and you remember it for the rest of your life. He shook my hand, we had eye contact, I felt the tremble — all because it’s Spielberg. Every time I’m with him it feels like a long time, but short because you want to spend more. The dude is the modern-day Hitchcock.
Bayer: With a film like “Indiana Jones 4,” do you get to see a script or do you just say yes or no? Shia: I haven’t been approached. It’s like this rumor that spiraled. I haven’t had the conversation. Every conversation I’ve had with Spielberg has been about “Disturbia” or “Transformers.” It’s never been brought up in casual talk, and I wouldn’t bring it up. If it wasn’t a rumor it would have been announced. Like Cate Blanchett (joining the cast) has been announced.
Bayer: With “Transformers” did this miss your childhood, as far as toys and cartoons? Shia: No, this was right up my alley. The Orson Welles cartoon (Shia and I take a moment and start singing “You’ve got the Touch.”) For boys, the male Barbie was Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Yogi Bear — that was my whole childhood. Then John Wayne and Spaghetti Westerns, because my dad wouldn’t watch anything else. That was enforced. Steve McQueen, I wasn’t into it. I was 7. Now you look back on it and Steve McQueen is the sh*t.
Bayer: So are you ready for 30- to 35-year-old men to start worshipping you? Shia: They aren’t going to worship me.
Bayer: There’s going to be a lot. If you don’t work again, which I think you will, there will always be a convention you could show up. Shia: There is that, yeah. It’s sort of like a retirement plan. The movie doesn’t come down to me being the star of the film. I am the star of the human aspect, but the movie is about Optimus and Megatron. It’s a coming-of-age story for this kid, but nobody is coming to see that. They are coming to see Optimus transform. I remember reading a George Clooney interview after “The Perfect Storm” and he said, “It’s not me, it’s the wave.”
Bayer: You were featured on “Project Greenlight” with “The Battle of Shaker Heights.” What was it like to watch you as yourself and not as an actor? Shia: That was just another character.
Bayer: Am I talking to the real Shia right now? Shia: This is my representative (meaning himself). This conversation is too important to my career for me to be very real. This is the rehearsed, proper, sound-byte me. I’m speaking from my heart and my mind, but it’s a representation. That’s what that was on (“Project Greenlight”). And for me, that was big because it was an opportunity to curse and be a loud-mouth a**hole wise guy that I wasn’t allowed to do on “Even Stevens.” And my whole following was this Disney Channel crowd, and this was a chance to gain another crowd of film lovers. It was just shtick all the time, that’s why I had my mom there. She was my sidekick and it was a comedy routine.
Bayer: You won a Daytime Emmy from “Even Stevens.” Where is that now? Shia: In my house, it’s like by my hat rack. I hang beads and things on it. It’s kind of funny ’cause it’s not a real Emmy, it’s a daytime Emmy. It’s like a pre-Emmy.
Bayer: With the show “Even Stevens,” did you take that job to support your family financially? Shia: Absolutely. It was not about acting at that point (LaBeouf was 12). My dad was a drug dealer and my mom sold brooches, so nobody had a real job. There was no week-by-week type thing.
Bayer: But there wasn’t any pressure put on you to do it? Shia: No. I knew my situation. I was living in Echo Park, right after the riots. The Rodney King sh*t had just happened. White people weren’t really accepted in Echo Park. There was a whole backlash from Latinos and blacks towards whites. We were the only white family in Echo Park at the time, which was primarily Latin, but my dad knew all the Latin guys because he was selling drugs. So we were “in” kind of, and “out” kind of. And I knew we couldn’t afford to live anywhere. Plus, I wanted new shoes and I wanted a new backpack like any kid who couldn’t afford them. And there was a lot of spotlight on me, because I was the only white kid in school. I had a church outfit, but I never went to church. Everybody had a church outfit. I’m Jewish. Plus, you could go to the Ice House (Comedy Club) on any given Tuesday. And they would have open mic nights, where anybody could get up there and do five minutes. And whoever the consecutive winner was, for three times, then you could open for the opener of a big act (like Jay Leno). That third time your pay would get bumped up from $20 to $50. I was a kid. I would get rushed in and out (because) all the alcohol would be taken off the tables. And you got this kid with a bowlcut trying to make you laugh. Nobody was ready for a 10-year-old to start talking about masturbation in their set. You couldn’t get up there and tell knock-knock jokes to a bunch of drunks.
Bayer: You have “Saturday Night Live” coming up in April. So do you have any thoughts? Shia: Yeah, constantly. You don’t get any sleep when you get that call. From a person who came from comedy, whose dad was a clown (yes, this is true) it’s the Oscars for a comic.
Bayer: You could have something where Shia is your stage name and your real name was something easy to pronounce. Shia: Carl, Bill ... I think that could be an opening monologue idea.
Bayer: Do you rap? I read something online that you had a rap name. Shia: No. Again, when I was 10, you would freestyle and you would battle kids. Especially being the white kid, it was like an “8 Mile” thing, not that I’m like Eminem. But you’d come up with a joke and something to rhyme with brick and that was your shtick. I was never a rapper; my rap name was Rap I, which is a derivative of Rabbi. It was never a serious thing; it was my protection. Comedy was this cloak and safety net.
Bayer: College in the future? Shia: Yale. I was accepted during “Greatest Game Ever Played.” I want to go. I can’t imagine they (still) have a spot open for me.
Bayer: Do you envision being a full-time student? Shia: Yes.
Bayer: And do movies in the summer? Shia: No, just do school for four years. I think I need to go away from this to create mystery.
Bayer: OK, at this stage Adam Brody (from “The O.C.” and the upcoming “In the Land of Women”) is my next interview. Any questions you would ask him? Shia: Why is he trying to be me? No, I’m just (messing) with you. I’d ask him when we can work together. I do think he’s talented as sh*t. He’s pretty funny.
Quick Questions # Breakfast this morning? Club sandwich # Favorite fruit? Nectarines # Last album you bought? The Ramones # Worst Job? Never had one # Favorite recent movie? “300” # Favorite location? Montreal # Book you wish you’d written? “Catcher in the Rye” # Your weakness? Anxiety # Favorite sports team? Los Angeles Dodgers # Who would you be for 24 hours? Jeremy Shockey # Something you can’t wait to do? Sleep # Super Power? Mind control # Last time you cried? 4 days ago # Age of first kiss? 10 years old # Favorite Charity? The Covenant House (helping homeless kids)