It took moments for Shia LaBeouf’s Ford truck to flip over during a wee-hours-of-the-morning car accident last July in West Hollywood. But nearly nine months later, the damage to LaBeouf’s left hand, so badly crushed that one finger had no bone left in it, still hasn’t entirely healed. LaBeouf now says it probably never will. During an exclusive interview with EW about the hotly anticipated June 24 sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the 22-year-old star reveals that he expects to get back only "about 80-something percent" of his left hand’s dexterity.
Though LaBeouf was not to blame for the accident, which according to published accounts occurred when another driver allegedly ran a red light, the actor refused a breathalyzer test at the scene and was cited with a misdemeanor DUI. In late September, the L.A. County D.A.’s office declined to prosecute LaBeouf, citing a lack of evidence, but in January, his driver’s license was suspended for one year. (That’s a virtually automatic consequence for anyone who refuses blood-alcohol-level testing after an accident.) A few hours after the crash, LaBeouf underwent a four-hour, early-morning surgical procedure on his left hand. A few weeks later — against the advice of at least one doctor, LaBeouf says — the actor returned to the Transformers set with a specially designed prosthetic bandage that had to be rewritten into the plot line. Additional surgery was postponed till after the film wrapped.
In his interview with EW (after the jump), LaBeouf talks about his recovery, another potentially calamitous accident that happened on the set, the advice he got from his former costar Harrison Ford, and how it felt to have the fate of the $200 million Transformers sequel hang on him.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s been going on with your hand since the first surgery?
SHIA LABEOUF: I’ve had screws and plates put in. They put a screw in
one of my knuckles. And they shaved a piece of bone off my hip and made
a [bone for my] finger out of it.
Was your hand out the window of the vehicle when it got injured?
Yeah.
How is the hand now?
I’m on my third surgery. That’s coming up in a week or two [from April
2]. My middle finger is still crooked as a f—ing noodle, so they’ve
gotta straighten it out and put a screw in it.
How long will it take to recover from this third surgery?
I imagine like two months and I’ll be back on my feet.
How much usage will you get back of your left hand?
Probably about 80-something percent. I’ll be able to make a fist again.
There’s a knuckle I’ll never be able to move again, but that’s probably
the only permanent damage, other than the scarring.
What do you remember of the initial surgical procedure?
The first voice I heard when I came out of surgery was Harrison’s.
Harrison [Ford] called me on the phone and said, "Hey, are you okay?" I
said, "Yeah, I’m good." He said, "Well, then you need to get back to
work." I said, "Are you serious?" He said, "That’s the way this cookie
crumbles." So I went back to work. The show doesn’t stop for anybody.
And of course Harrison, your costar in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the Crystal Skull, shot most of the second Indy movie with a seriously
screwed-up back. How soon did you go back to work?
I was only down for two weeks. The average bone healing time is six months.
Did you consider postponing your return to the set at all?
When I came back it was just out of the guilt that I had. I pride
myself on my professionalism, and this is the first issue I’ve ever had
where I wasn’t able to come to set, and it’s f—ing heartbreaking when
you gotta look at your crew. You know, what can you do? You just gotta
grab your balls and move forward. There’s nothing else to do. The thing
that cut deep to the core of me was knowing that there were 65 human
beings [in the crew] who are like family to me, waiting for me to come
back. They were sitting on their asses doing nothing because of my…you
know, my situation. It’s the most intense s— I’ve ever dealt with,
and am still dealing with. I mean, if people look at me like a drunk
a–hole, that’s okay. But I know my family looks at me like a whole
different person, and I know my crew respects me immensely. And at the
end of the day, I can’t do much more.
How debilitating has it been to have no use of your left hand all these months?
It’s hard to do anything. It’s hard to button your pants or brush your
teeth, let alone jump off a three-story building into a pad. This movie
was the most physical thing I’ve ever had to do, and I had to do it
with a broken hand. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my
life. Constantly having to take hits and fall and run through
explosions and get hit and beat up all day. Aside from my hand, I also
got 25 stitches making this movie, in various parts of my body — stuff
that had nothing to do with my hand.
In October, there was a report that you got hit with a prop just above one eye and needed stitches.
I basically stuck a f—ing sharp object through my eyelid.
Michael Bay, your director, says it was a large prop of some kind that
caught you, which he didn’t want to identify or describe because it’s a
plot spoiler. He also says he dropped to his knees as soon as he heard
someone on the set say, "There’s blood."
They stitched me up in a military hospital. The doctor looks at me and
he holds his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart from one another.
I said, "What is that?" He said, "Blindness." This is the most insane
s— I’ve ever been a part of.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What’s been going on with your hand since the first surgery?
SHIA LABEOUF: I’ve had screws and plates put in. They put a screw inone of my knuckles. And they shaved a piece of bone off my hip and madea [bone for my] finger out of it.
Was your hand out the window of the vehicle when it got injured?
Yeah.
How is the hand now?
I’m on my third surgery. That’s coming up in a week or two [from April2]. My middle finger is still crooked as a f—ing noodle, so they’vegotta straighten it out and put a screw in it.
How long will it take to recover from this third surgery?
I imagine like two months and I’ll be back on my feet.
How much usage will you get back of your left hand?
Probably about 80-something percent. I’ll be able to make a fist again.There’s a knuckle I’ll never be able to move again, but that’s probablythe only permanent damage, other than the scarring.
What do you remember of the initial surgical procedure?
The first voice I heard when I came out of surgery was Harrison’s.Harrison [Ford] called me on the phone and said, "Hey, are you okay?" Isaid, "Yeah, I’m good." He said, "Well, then you need to get back towork." I said, "Are you serious?" He said, "That’s the way this cookiecrumbles." So I went back to work. The show doesn’t stop for anybody.
And of course Harrison, your costar in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom ofthe Crystal Skull, shot most of the second Indy movie with a seriouslyscrewed-up back. How soon did you go back to work?
I was only down for two weeks. The average bone healing time is six months.
Did you consider postponing your return to the set at all?
When I came back it was just out of the guilt that I had. I pridemyself on my professionalism, and this is the first issue I’ve ever hadwhere I wasn’t able to come to set, and it’s f—ing heartbreaking whenyou gotta look at your crew. You know, what can you do? You just gottagrab your balls and move forward. There’s nothing else to do. The thingthat cut deep to the core of me was knowing that there were 65 humanbeings [in the crew] who are like family to me, waiting for me to comeback. They were sitting on their asses doing nothing because of my…youknow, my situation. It’s the most intense s— I’ve ever dealt with,and am still dealing with. I mean, if people look at me like a drunka–hole, that’s okay. But I know my family looks at me like a wholedifferent person, and I know my crew respects me immensely. And at theend of the day, I can’t do much more.
How debilitating has it been to have no use of your left hand all these months?
It’s hard to do anything. It’s hard to button your pants or brush yourteeth, let alone jump off a three-story building into a pad. This moviewas the most physical thing I’ve ever had to do, and I had to do itwith a broken hand. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in mylife. Constantly having to take hits and fall and run throughexplosions and get hit and beat up all day. Aside from my hand, I alsogot 25 stitches making this movie, in various parts of my body — stuffthat had nothing to do with my hand.
In October, there was a report that you got hit with a prop just above one eye and needed stitches.
I basically stuck a f—ing sharp object through my eyelid.
Michael Bay, your director, says it was a large prop of some kind thatcaught you, which he didn’t want to identify or describe because it’s aplot spoiler. He also says he dropped to his knees as soon as he heardsomeone on the set say, "There’s blood."
They stitched me up in a military hospital. The doctor looks at me andhe holds his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart from one another.I said, "What is that?" He said, "Blindness." This is the most insanes— I’ve ever been a part of.
Comments (1-30) of 108 Add your comment
The kid definitely got bad luck there. But then again, he gets to work with MEGAN FOX!
http://tvdonewright.wordpress.com/
I’m proud of Shia. He has really grown up to be a great talent, and obviously takes his work seriously. He really deserves to be considered one of Hollywood’s elite. Now if he would only get off the Action/drama kick, and occasionally give us a comedy. He is, and always will be a great comedian as well as a great actor.
what crack are you smoking talking about Hollywood elite?
I hope the movie shows the effort that he put into it.
what a p*ssy. I used to love him when I first saw him in HOLES, i thought, he’s great, he’s going to be big! but it seems his head has gotten hollywood-sized and he acts like a shmuck now. refusing a breathalyzer? um hello, why would a SOBER person do that. also i broke my finger too (left hand) and didn’t get ANY time off of work – ok well it wasn’t as bad as his but still i went to work the very next day. transformers 2 better be good!!!
I LOVE how he talks!! He doesn’t give a rats ass if he sounds all kinds of vulgar!!
Susan you are a moron! Unless you had NO BONE in your finger and they had to SHAVE some off your hip to replace it…don’t even talk about returning to work. He should have waited six weeks instead he went back in two…oh yea he is a HUGE pussy…LMAO you are such an idiot.
Oh wow Susan. YOU truly are someone to look up to. Quit acting like your someone. “Transformers 2 better be good”??? Or what?
Susan you are such an idiot….just because he talks honestly and doesn’t sugarcoat things does not mean he is all hollywoodized….go back to girl scouts if you can’t handle it.
Susan, you’re an idiot. There is a big difference, in breaking a finger and going back to work the next day, and CRUSHING your hand ( see article, NO bones left in 1 finger) and going back to work in 2 weeks. What a tool you are
Please! I agree with Susan.
a) Douch refused a breath test = driving under the influence = scum bag. FACT.
b) and it is clearly the privilidge of the weathy to take time off work while sick.
c) anyone who refers to the crew on the set as “my crew” is an ego maniac. Hint Shia: you don’t own people and therefore the crew are not yours. How friggen condescending is that???
I wish he would do movies that weren’t pieces of crap. He’s a good actor and he’s being wasted by those stupid Transformers movies.
Jennifer. You are SO STUPID.
Over-rated, arrogant Jewish douchebag.
www*.JewsAgainstCircumcision.*org
Dustin Hoffman’s grandson is intact.
Susan & Jennifer are two of the dumbest people I’ve ever seen post on ew.com.
I try not to believe there are people out there as dumb as you, but here’s the evidence right here.
he CRUSHED his hand and has NO bone in one finger, it’s way different than breaking a finger. He is a great actor and deserves a lot of credit for continuing his work. If h e took off the time he needed to properly heal, he would have left a whole cast and crew jobless for 6 months or more. People need to remember he was not charged with anything and it was not his fault, the cops did their job and found it not to be his fault!
You people are crazy! I love you, Shia!
Jennifer, I hope you are joking, or maybe you’re just really stupid. I would love to see you up and running days after crushing your hand. Also saying “my crew” doesn’t imply that he owns them. People say things like my family and my teacher all the time dumba**.
For those who are asking, the reason a sober person would refuse a breathalizer test is simple. You NEVER take a breathalizer test, sober, drunk or otherwise. They are notoriously inaccurate, yet if it decides you are over the legal limit (even if you’re cold stone sober), this will be used as evidence against you in court. The problem is that a breathalizer does not measure your blood alcohol content directly, but estimates it based on infared spectroscopy. This reading can be altered by a number of external factors, including temperature and breathing pattern. Furthermore, the calibration degrades severely over time, and other compunds, such as diabetic drugs, have been found to interfere with readings due to molecular similarity to alcohol. All of this shows Mr. LaBeouf was in fact being extremely smart in refusing the test.
Please Drew….when you exit your tween-dome and entre the realy world you’ll understand what I’m staying.
If you thought me any less that stupid I would be completely concerned abot my own intelligence, to be painted into your masses would truly make me stupid.
Oh and also simply because you disgree with me does not make me stipud. Grow Up and get an informed opinion.
Im not 100% on board with the negative comments but I crushed my wrist, had surgery (plates and screws etc)and was back at work 4 days later…so is he a little soft? I’d say “yeah”
hes a bad ass everyone else in his age group are sugar.
hes a throw back to hollywood bad asses of old- we dont have many more–plus hes a sick actor
viva the beef
Jennifer, I’d take more stock in your comments if they weren’t so riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Drew seems less like a “tween” than you do. It’s not a privilege to take two weeks off work, it’s called PTO (or Paid Time Off) and its required by law.
I mean, your employer giving you PTO is required, not the whole two weeks thing.
Wow, Shia’s publicists assistants must be putting in OT here. Sorry, but you don’t get your license suspended for doing nothing. The accident may not have been his fault but he was still drinking and driving which not only makes him irresponsible, but stupid and careless. I still think he’s a decent actor, but from what I’ve read about him I think he’s kind of obnoxious.
Ya know…in all honesty, I would have refused the breathalyzer too. The man just got his truck flipped. His hand was all kinds of ruined, not to mention the very likely presence of minor cuts and bruises everywhere else. I would just want to sit there, collect myself, and then fix my god damned hand!!
As for how Shia talks…The guy is Twenty-Two! He talks just like me, maybe…strangely enough…because i’m twenty-two? Just because he is an actor doesn’t mean he is gonna be high and mighty. He seems like a down to earth, rational kind of guy. So get off his case, people. Man broke his hand and got stabbed in the eyelid. He isn’t going back to an office or retail job after getting sick, he is making an ACTION MOVIE. So shut up. Just. Shut. Up.
And djm…you DO get your licenses suspended for refusing a breathalyzer. They throw the whole “innocent until proven guilty” thing out the window and just assume that you can’t possibly have any other reason for NOT taking it, so you MUST have been drunk. The kid didn’t cause the accident. Plain and simple. I think we all have either driven drunk or have friends that do. And in all honesty, not every drunk driver is a “murderer behind the wheel”. A majority of people I know that do it…plenty safe behind the wheel. They know their limit and they don’t drive if they are over it.
Wow, talk about reading too much into every little word he says. The guy was in a car accident, he felt guilty for wasting people’s time and sucked it up and went back to work. He has limited movement in his hand and you all are bitching about him being arrogant? Sheesh.
dear people, (susan&jennifer)
1. would you want to stick around to take a breathalyzer test would the paramedics are hauling you off in an ambulance ? hmm? yeah im sure he wanted nothing more then to stay and loose all mobility in his hand.
2. he didn’t just break “a finger” his whole hand was smashed. hence the 3 surgeries, screws and bone replacements.
3. it takes a he*l of a person to go back to work when half of the world is looking down on you with the wrong perception. not to mention the physical pain he must have been in. it’s not like he can load up on pain killers and say “hey lets go blow sh*t up on set today, while i jump off buildings”
4. get your head out of your a*s people, it takes a pathetic person to go on website and just bash people all day because of what they read on gossip sites and don’t take the time to find out the truth.