It was the central role as Sam Witwicky that shot Shia LaBeouf to superstardom back in the summer of 2007. This year saw him return to the role for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Despite mixed reviews from the critics the movies was a huge box office success and went on to gross over $833 million and is coming to DVD next week.
- Congratulations on the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Let’s get to the most serious question first. There’s a lot of talk about Megan Fox looking incredibly sexy in the film. How about you? Do you think you are sexier in the sequel?
Yes. Definitely. I think I’m sexier in this movie (laughs).
- The theme of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is your character turns from a boy into a man. Do you feel you’ve grown up in real life since the first Transformers?
Honestly, I’ve experienced the biggest learning curve of my life in the last year. I’ve had the highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s been insane.
-You can relate to your character, Sam?
I think me and Sam are probably going through a similar thing. Here’s a person who is wanting a normal life, wanting to go to college and not deal with the Transformers. I’m not far from that, you know? Not saying I wouldn’t make Transformers.
But this gets a bit monotonous, over and over again, the constant speculation and judgment and criticism. That gets old after a while and then you just kind of want to be alone. I’m going through those things, not anything depressing, just normal 22-year-old stuff.
- How do you feel like you’ve grown in the last 12 months?
I couldn’t point to anything specific and go ‘Wow, that’s where it happened’ or anything like that. I know that I’ve calmed down and I’m less aggressive. I’ve axed certain things out of my life, added new routines and I’ve been getting involved in new activities. Just boring normal shit, really. Just boring, normal, normal, stuff.
- Would you call yourself happier?
Absolutely. I’m more appreciative. Not in the false Hollywood way. I almost felt sound bitten for a while. Things were happening so fast that you don’t really get to appreciate them. You act as though you do. You know what I mean?
You can’t appreciate something you haven’t really digested. When it’s all happening so fast, you have to appreciate it or you’re an asshole. So you just, by sheer fact that everyone is looking at you going ‘You appreciate this right?’ you’re like ‘Yeah, I’m so grateful.’
But you don’t really believe what you’re saying. Now I believe that I’m becoming more and more grateful.
- There are a lot of stunts on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Did you have to physically prepare for the tough days on set?
What are you preparing for? To run through massive explosions? There’s no preparation physically. You can be like the actor-y guy ‘Yeah I prepared. I climbed mountains and I would hold these gallon jugs of water all day long.’ I can create that façade for you, but no.
- You have a lot of scenes with Megan Fox in the film. Some are quite romantic. When the cameras aren’t rolling, what is your relationship like?
If you’re asking if we’re sexy friends, hell no. I’m completely opposed to that. We are ‘talk friends’. We talk together and we conversate. We’re friends man.
- What do you like about her?
I appreciate her sense of humour. I mean, I get over the visual thing pretty quickly. She’s a cool person. You’re just a cool person and we have fun together. We care about each other and have been through some wild experiences together.
We try to stay grounded together. It’s cool to go through it with somebody. Out of sheer experience alone, we’re kind of tied to each other.
- There are some amazing cars in the movie. What was your favourite?
I think the new Corvette is especially cool. I think that’s a very cool car.
- Is it the one you would personally drive?
No. Well one I don’t have a license. I wouldn’t drive a car like that probably.
- Why not?
It’s just a bit much.
- What car is more you?
I have a Checker cab. It’s red but it’s going to be matte black when it’s done. It’s going to look really cool.
- Shia, as a young guy, do you appreciate Michael Bay’s taste in women?
I think there’s a common misconception about Michael Bay. Michael Bay makes movies mostly for Middle America. These same women can look very different under different lights with different hair and make-up.
He’s famous for filming women that way, just like he’s famous for filming explosions among other things and I think people appreciate it. I appreciate it, yeah. I haven’t seen any unattractive women in Michael Bay movies, extras included, ever.
- What kind of woman do you like?
Buff. Active lifestyles. Ferocious readers.
- Ferocious readers? Really?
And television personalities. If I could find that in one woman, I’d be married right now. Della Reese is the archetype. I don’t know if you have seen Touched by an Angel, but that woman is THE woman.
- If I see her, I’ll tell her.
Just give her a tickle. She knows how I feel.
- Were you surprised by the first Transformer’s success or did you know it would work?
Tranformers just by the name and the concept, I knew you’d have a lot of 1980s babies show up. Just out of pure nostalgia. So we were pretty safe going in. Michael had fears because he had just come off The Island.
Megan and I were like ‘This is crazy.’ We hadn’t been there yet in terms of size or scope. It was unlike anything we had done previously. The first time was like a free for all.
The second time, we weren’t jaded, but we were educated in what that robot was going to look like, how close it’s going to come to you and all that type of thing. You just have more knowledge of the process.
- So when you are shooting a scene with a Transformer, say Bumblebee, he is obviously not in the scene with you. They put him in later. What is there in its place to help you act out the scene?
You have nothing there. The first time we had a green ball on a pole. This time we didn’t. I’d ask Megan ‘Where are you looking? Right there? Okay.’
- What is happening with the next Indiana Jones movie?
I think they are still writing it.
- Thanks Shia.
No problem.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is released 30th November
It was the central role as Sam Witwicky that shot Shia LaBeouf to superstardom back in the summer of 2007. This year saw him return to the role for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Despite mixed reviews from the critics the movies was a huge box office success and went on to gross over $833 million and is coming to DVD next week.
- Congratulations on the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Let’s get to the most serious question first. There’s a lot of talk about Megan Fox looking incredibly sexy in the film. How about you? Do you think you are sexier in the sequel?
Yes. Definitely. I think I’m sexier in this movie (laughs).
- The theme of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is your character turns from a boy into a man. Do you feel you’ve grown up in real life since the first Transformers?
Honestly, I’ve experienced the biggest learning curve of my life in the last year. I’ve had the highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s been insane.
-You can relate to your character, Sam?
I think me and Sam are probably going through a similar thing. Here’s a person who is wanting a normal life, wanting to go to college and not deal with the Transformers. I’m not far from that, you know? Not saying I wouldn’t make Transformers.
But this gets a bit monotonous, over and over again, the constant speculation and judgment and criticism. That gets old after a while and then you just kind of want to be alone. I’m going through those things, not anything depressing, just normal 22-year-old stuff.
- How do you feel like you’ve grown in the last 12 months?
I couldn’t point to anything specific and go ‘Wow, that’s where it happened’ or anything like that. I know that I’ve calmed down and I’m less aggressive. I’ve axed certain things out of my life, added new routines and I’ve been getting involved in new activities. Just boring normal shit, really. Just boring, normal, normal, stuff.
- Would you call yourself happier?
Absolutely. I’m more appreciative. Not in the false Hollywood way. I almost felt sound bitten for a while. Things were happening so fast that you don’t really get to appreciate them. You act as though you do. You know what I mean?
You can’t appreciate something you haven’t really digested. When it’s all happening so fast, you have to appreciate it or you’re an asshole. So you just, by sheer fact that everyone is looking at you going ‘You appreciate this right?’ you’re like ‘Yeah, I’m so grateful.’
But you don’t really believe what you’re saying. Now I believe that I’m becoming more and more grateful.
- There are a lot of stunts on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Did you have to physically prepare for the tough days on set?
What are you preparing for? To run through massive explosions? There’s no preparation physically. You can be like the actor-y guy ‘Yeah I prepared. I climbed mountains and I would hold these gallon jugs of water all day long.’ I can create that façade for you, but no.
- You have a lot of scenes with Megan Fox in the film. Some are quite romantic. When the cameras aren’t rolling, what is your relationship like?
If you’re asking if we’re sexy friends, hell no. I’m completely opposed to that. We are ‘talk friends’. We talk together and we conversate. We’re friends man.
- What do you like about her?
I appreciate her sense of humour. I mean, I get over the visual thing pretty quickly. She’s a cool person. You’re just a cool person and we have fun together. We care about each other and have been through some wild experiences together.
We try to stay grounded together. It’s cool to go through it with somebody. Out of sheer experience alone, we’re kind of tied to each other.
- There are some amazing cars in the movie. What was your favourite?
I think the new Corvette is especially cool. I think that’s a very cool car.
- Is it the one you would personally drive?
No. Well one I don’t have a license. I wouldn’t drive a car like that probably.
- Why not?
It’s just a bit much.
- What car is more you?
I have a Checker cab. It’s red but it’s going to be matte black when it’s done. It’s going to look really cool.
Tagged in Transformers Shia LaBeouf