Shia LeBeouf had a life-changing moment in 2017.
He was arrested for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and obstruction in Savannah, Georgia after being refused a cigarette by a police officer.
The news made headlines, as well as the video of his arrest. Now, he’s expressing gratitude to the officer over the incident.
All of this started while he was shooting a movie.
He was in Georgia shooting The Peanut Butter Falcon in July of 2017.
Early that morning, he approached a bystander and asked for a cigarette. The person declined to give him one.
Shia become enraged.
In a video released of the officer’s bodycam footage, Shia can be seen constantly questioning his own arrest.
He was arrested after the officer asked for him to calm down, which he clearly did not.
He then ran for it.
According to the police statement ,
“When the officer attempted to place LaBeouf under arrest, LaBeouf ran to a nearby hotel. LaBeouf was arrested in the hotel lobby, where his disorderly behavior continued.”
Things took a dark turn.
In the backseat, Shia can be heard talking about his “millionaire lawyers.”
He asked a black officer, “Who you fighting for? You got a President who don’t give a [expletive] about you.” He also used a number of sexist expletives against other officers.
After the incident, he returned to set.
He was on a boat with his co-star, Zack Gottsagen. Gottsagen was a key player in turning Shia’s life around.
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His fellow actor, “nursed me back, on a boat, during a scene where we’re talking about, like, the painful past.”
He also made him a promise.
Gottsagen said he had “one chance to prove to himself: never, never, never do this kind of stuff again.”
Shia swore he would not drink for the rest of the film’s production, and reportedly kept that promise.
Shia then entered rehab.
It was court-ordered and lasted ten weeks. During that time, he began to break the story for Honey Boy , his first screenplay.
The film follows a young actor trying to come to terms with his relationship with his father, as well as his difficult childhood.
The film is a critical success.
At the Hollywood Film Awards, he took home the trophy for Honey Boy ‘s screenplay.
He used that moment to open up about his arrest, and to express gratitude for what had occurred.
He thanked the officer from the video.
“I want to thank the police officer who arrested me in Georgia for changing my life,” he said.
According to reports , the audience wasn’t sure how to react to that statement. It was met with some laughter.
But he continued on.
He also thanked, “my therapist and my sponsor for saving my life,” at which point people figured out he was very, very serious.
He wasn’t done thanking the people around him, however.
His last thanks were reserved for his parents.
As well as the officer, his sponsor, and his therapist, he thanked “my parents for giving my life.”
Shia is now sober, and slowly revealing how he feels about being arrested and how he behaved.
He expressed sheer mortification at what happened.
In 2018, he told Esquire how horrible he felt about the night he was arrested — not for himself, but for what he put other people through.
“I’m a buffoon. My public outbursts are failures.” He said.
He had some real work to do on himself.
“I’ve got to look at my failures in the face for a while,” he said. “I need to take ownership of my [expletive] and clean up my side of the street a bit before I can go out there and work again, so I’m trying to stay creative and learn from my mistakes.”
This was a long time coming.
“I’ve been falling forward for a long time. Most of my life. The truth is, in my desperation, I lost the plot.”
Interestingly, he also blamed his own privilege for his actions.
He knew exactly what he did wrong.
“What went on in Georgia was mortifying. White privilege and desperation and disaster… It came from a place of self-centered delusion… It was me trying to absolve myself of guilt for getting arrested.”
