Shia LaBeouf Talks about Sequel

Photo Courtesy by DW Studios L.L.C/Paramount Pictures Corporation.

Q: Since the first movie got so many great reviews how is the second movie going to top it off?
Shia La Beouf: It’s fucking bigger, stronger, faster, better—it has to be. You got to realize you know this movies is being made by a lot of dudes who have a lot of pride. There’s no way that we’re going to promise you something and then have it be a piece of shit. It would just be a real problem for everybody’s psyche.

Q: Specifically how does your character change? How does he evolve from the first one?
La Beouf: Well, Sam saved the world the first time, right? So just imagine Brad Pitt going to Trader Joe’s to go get a granola bar. Like, that’s a real hard fucking go, right? So, if you save the world you have a real problem trying to buy a granola bar, you know? So like anywhere you go, you’re the guy who saved the world.

So—and you’re trying to go to college and have like a normal life. And as you know, college is a humongous, humongous deal for kids who didn’t enjoy their life in high school because it’s a chance to start over. And Sam was this nebbishy, neurotic, dorky kid in high school who fell into the most ridiculous situation.

Now he’s in a place—you see him—the movie starts two years later from where the last one left off. He’s on his way to school to start a new life . . . He’s trying to create his own world and create his own personality free from other people’s input. And he goes off to college and when he gets to college he starts having problems, meaning he starts having these spastic fits of information.

Where like his great, great grandfather, Archibald Witwicky, starts having these visions. These things just start popping up into his head. And he’s seeing symbols and come to find out the symbols wind up being a map which lead to Decepticons to—[or] the Autobots to the Energon source that is still being held here on earth.

Q: Can you relate to this whole college theme?
La Beouf: I wanted to go to college—fuck man. I wanted to go to college so bad and I was going to go. I was set to go. I had my backpack, picked out, all my cool little pump up pencils and stuff. I was ready. And at the last minute, a guy named Steven Spielberg called up and had a plan for other things. And I wasn’t like, well listen, Steven, you’ve got great ideas and all, but I don’t think so Boss, I’m headed to school. So I didn’t do that because I’m not insane. And so I decided to listen to Steven Spielberg as opposed to listening to myself.

But still, I mean even though I’ve done these movies and I’m very fortunate and blessed to have done them, I always feel lesser than. I always feel like intellectually—I just feel like a—I always feel like anytime I’m around anybody who’s gone to school they have a superiority you know about them.

Q: Steven Spielberg helped you get cast in Disturbia, Tranformers and Indiana Jones. What’s it like having such predominant figure in the movie business supporting you?
La Beouf: It ain’t bad. It’s fantastic, man. It’s a blessing. It’s the answer. It’s the quickest way to be successful in the industry is to befriend the most successful person in the industry.

Q: Who from the first film did you most look forward to working with again on Transformers?
La Beouf: Okay, now which—hmm. Interesting. I mean the obvious is—right? I’m a red-blooded American man, age 22, so there’s that. And I think [John] Turturro, I think honestly Turturro was so insane, man. Turturro is like one of the craziest people I’ve ever come across in my life, not even on some actor stuff, just on some people stuff? He’s a crazy, crazy dude.

This interview was a conference call with questions voiced by a variety of organizations.