Shia LaBeouf made a splash at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year when he premiered Honey Boy, which he wrote and starred in. The semi-autobiographical movie, directed by Alma Har'el, is based off of Shia's relationship with his dad, with Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe playing versions of the actor at different stages in his life. While the names are changed from real life, LaBeouf notably played a version of his alcoholic father.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, LaBeouf revealed that he showed his parents Honey Boy. "Yeah, my mother, my dad, they've seen it," he explained. "It was tough for them to watch it. But I think also, they can have distance with it as well. I mean they really, more than they care about this movie shit they care about their kid, you know?"
As for what they thought of the film, he added that they're just happy that he was willing to show them the very personal project. "They're happy with my reaction to it, and they know I wouldn't have shared it with them unless I was proud of it," he continued. "So I think just the act of sharing it with them sorta contextualizes the whole viewing experience as something that's quite safe for them to enjoy. So they were going to enjoy it regardless of if I played it for them."
Honey Boy won the Special Jury Award for Vision and Craft at Sundance and received a standing ovation. Following its premiere, LaBeouf's performance in particular received lavish praise. The movie is set to hit theaters on Nov. 8, 2019 through Amazon Studios.
