Shia Labeouf dissed the Transformers movies, says they’re ‘irrelevant’

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Since failing to "retire from public life," TRANSFORMERS actor Shia LaBeouf has made quite the name for himself as a motivational speaker, arthouse goon, and racist rant extraordinaire. Although most recently, LaBeouf sat down for an exclusive interview with Esquire's own Eric Sullivan, where the former Disney Channel star offered some choice words regarding director Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS franchise – in which LaBeouf starred for three installments.

“My hang-up with those films was that they felt irrelevant,” LaBeouf told Esquire. “They felt dated as fuck. … You come up on these stories about Easy Rider and Raging Bull and [Robert] De Niro and [Martin] Scorsese and [Dennis] Hopper, and you find value in what they do. Meanwhile, you’re chasing energon crystals. It’s very hard to keep doing what you’re doing when you feel like it’s the antithesis of your purpose on this planet.”

Woof. I can't help but wonder if LaBeouf is aware of his own relevancy or purpose on this planet, these days? I've got nothing personal against the guy, I just think he could stand to take the TRANSFORMERS movies for what they are; big, dumb fun.

As the story goes, LaBeouf left his TRANSFORMERS character, Sam Witwicky, behind after leading TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON in 2011. According to reports the DISTURBIA actor parted ways with the franchise in the interest of pursuing a richer, more artistic career. “[I felt like I] was living in a gilded cage. No one gives a fuck about your problems. Everybody’s like, ‘Hey, man, you’re riding the wave," LaBeouf says.

For his next time out, Shia will appear in THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON starring PUNISHER lead Jon Bernthal, actress Dakota Fanning, Thomas Haden Church and John Hawkes.

There's no telling what Shia will get up to next, though in the meantime, let's all take a moment to bask in the ridiculousness of this supercut of LaBeouf saying the word "no" umpteen thousand times.

Source: Esquire

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.