Shia LaBeouf has apparently been cast to portray a real-life saint in a new film directed by Abel Ferrara.
After being sued by ex-girlfriend and pop star FKA Twigs for his alleged violent and abusive behavior towards her and another ex-girlfriend, Shia LaBeouf was ordered by a judge to attend therapy and anger-management classes as well as to wear a SoberLink device. He also agreed to undergo random alcohol testing.
“It’s a miracle I came out alive,” FKA Twigs told Elle back in February. “I used to get this feeling of intense fear and shame, and I would evaporate from people’s lives. If you’re not talking to your friends or your family about what you’re going through, then there’s no one to regulate your emotions or affirm how you’re feeling. There’s no one to tell you that you’re in a dangerous situation.”
The lawsuit and abuse allegations, which LaBeouf denied, caused the Transformers actor to be dropped from multiple projects, and to eventually part ways with his talent agency and take a break from acting “to focus on his recovery.”
That break appears to be nearly over, as Ferrara told Variety that the actor is fully on board to play the legendary Saint Padre Pio.
“We’re doing a film about Padre Pio, he’s a monk from Puglia. It’s set in Italy right after World War I. He’s now a saint, he had stigmata. He was also in the middle of a very heavy political period in world history,” Ferrara told the outlet. “He was very young before he became a saint, so Shia LaBeouf is going to play the monk.”
Willem Dafoe, Ferrara’s friend and frequent collaborator, is also in talks to star in the film. The recent addition of LaBeouf means that the project can begin filming soon.
