Shia LaBeouf both ‘disgusted’ and ‘happy’ as documentary about his theatre school screens at Cannes

Shia LaBeouf has given his thoughts on a new documentary that details the period when he ran a theatre collective in Los Angeles, at the Slauson Recreation Centre, from 2018 to 2020.

Slauson Rec, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday (18 May), is a documentary by first-time filmmaker Leo Lewis O’Neil who became the official archivist for LaBeouf’s free theatre school where the controversial Transformers star attempted to train actors.

O’Neil was keen to capture the events at LaBeouf’s experimental institution, which included the actor unleashing verbal outbursts and getting into physical altercations with the students as he strived for perfection. The school closed down in November 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

Although the documentary paints LaBeouf, 38, in an unflattering light, he consented at the time to having everything captured on camera. He may not like what he sees on screen, but is willing to support the film.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, LaBeouf said: “Yes, I look like a f***ing asshole. Yes, my boy [O’Neil] got into Cannes. I can be both disgusted with myself and happy as f*** for my guy. I can be both things.”

“Am I f***ed up? Yes. Is my process ugly and disgusting? Yes,” he added. “Have I done horrible s*** in the past that I’m going to have to make amends for the rest of my life? Yes. Does this movie change any of that? No. Does it also allow my people to get a foot into this f***ing industry? Yes. So gas pedal down, green light go.”

According to Variety, LaBeouf saw the film for the first time at Cannes on Sunday with the rest of the festival-goers. Speaking at the screening he said: “I’ve done a lot of coming to terms with the failure that was my life, and the plastic foundation I had. I left a lot of people in the wake of my personality defects.”

A month after the school closed, LaBeouf was sued by singer FKA twigs, who accused the actor of “relentless abuse”, including sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress during their relationship. LaBeouf has denied “each and every allegation” of abuse by FKA twigs.

The trial has faced several delays due to both LaBeouf and FKA twigs’s schedules. A new trial date has reportedly been set for September 2025.

The actor converted to Catholicism in 2022 – the same year where he welcomed his first child into the world with his partner and fellow actor, Mia Goth.