Ask any millennial, and a lot of them will tell you that the late 90s and early 2000s were a great time to be a fan of the Disney Channel. Remembering shows like Lizzie McGuire, Boy Meets World, and Even Stevens always make us smile. And who could forget Disney Channel Original Movies like Halloweentown, Smart House, Phantom of the Megaplex, and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century? So many of the stars of these shows and movies seemed to grow up in front of our eyes, but sadly, some of their lives have not been as happy as their lives in the shows they were in.
Many Disney fans know that actor Shia LaBeouf — the star of the Disney Channel show Even Stevens — has had a tough time in recent years. The actor has been arrested multiple times and has been open about his struggles with alcoholism. In 2020, he was sued by his former fiancée singer/songwriter FKA twigs, for verbal and physical abuse, as well as sexual assault. LaBeouf has been back in the headlines as of late due to the controversy surrounding his exit from the film Don’t Worry Darling, which also stars Black Widow actress Florence Pugh.
LaBeouf recently sat down with Jon Bernthal for his podcast Real Ones and spoke about the troubles he has had in the past years. He was surprisingly open and admitted to hurting not only romantic partner FKA twigs, but other women in his life, and suffering an “ego death”.
“I hurt that woman. And in the process of doing that, I hurt many other people, and many other people before that woman. I was a pleasure-seeking, selfish, self-centered, dishonest, inconsiderate, fearful human being…When I think about what my life has become, and what it is now, like what my purpose is now… I need to be useful. And when I look at this #MeToo environment, there’s not a whole lot of dudes that are taking accountability…
During the podcast, LaBeouf also admitted to cheating on every partner he has ever had, calling himself “manipulative”.
In a darker turn, when the Twigs abuse allegations and lawsuit came to light, LaBeouf told Bernthal that he had considered ending his life. However, he now credits the lawsuit for saving his life. Exposing the person he was made him take a deep look within himself, and he saw that he wanted to change. LaBeouf said:
“Had she not intervened in my life and not created the avenue for me to experience ego death, I’d either have a really mediocre existence or I’d be dead in full…
My purpose, and I mean this with every fiber of my being, is to be instructive with my life, so that I can be an advertisement, like a billboard, for a principled way of living.”
Bernthal posted a clip of the podcast on his Instagram, which you can watch below. To listen to the full podcast, a Patreon subscription is required. You can subscribe by clicking here.
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LaBeouf is still working hard in Hollywood and working even harder to live the life he wants to live. He currently has two projects in post-production — Padre Pio and After Exile. Even Stevens and The Even Stevens Movie are currently available to stream on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+.