The Tax Collector, starring Bobby Soto and Shia LaBeouf, is out next month via RLJE Films.
The movie marks the first time LaBeouf and writer/director David Ayer have worked together since Fury, the well-received World War II tanker drama that also starred Brad Pitt and Michael Peña. Following the release earlier this month of the first Tax Collector trailer, which sees LaBeouf's character Creeper backing up Soto's David as crime boss tax collectors, fans have directed new attention to comments Ayer previously gave in a SlashFilminterview at the top of the year.
Speaking on LaBeouf's dedication to the creative process during the Fury and Tax Collector productions, respectively, Ayer revealed that the actor/performance artist underwent extensive tattooing to bring "Creeper" to life in the latter.
"He's one of the best actors I've worked with, and he's the most committed to body and soul," Ayer told Jack Giroux at the time. "He had a tooth pulled on Fury, and then on Tax Collector, he got his whole chest tattooed. So he kind of goes all in, and I've never known anyone that committed."
While many are crediting the top-tier chest work entirely to Tax Collector reasons, artist Bryan Ramirez has noted that LaBeouf's parents inspired the top portion of the piece. LaBeouf's Tax Collector character name, however, is seen near the bottom. It's unclear if the Tax Collector portions of the recently-pointed-out ink were done by the same artist.
Ayer, meanwhile, recently addressed the criticism from some regarding LaBeouf's role in the film. After the first trailer for Tax Collector started making the rounds, some assumed that LaBeouf's Creeper was a Latino character. Ayer corrected this, stating that Creeper is actually "a white boy."
The Tax Collector is out digitally on Aug. 7. Until then, here's an assortment of ink appreciation:
