LaBeouf shared the news in a new conversation with Bishop Barron for the Bishop's YouTube show, 'Bishop Barron Presents.'
Shia LaBeouf made a major revelation while appearing on Bishop Robert Barron's YouTube series, Bishop Barron Presents. While in conversation with the bishop, LaBeouf shared that he converted to Catholicism.
The actor, whose mother is Jewish and has previously discussed having both a bar mitzvah as well as a baptism growing up, revealed that he was drawn to the Catholic faith while filming his new movie, Padre Pio, which tells the story of the Catholic saint of the same name.
While preparing for the film, LaBeouf, who has been called a "method actor," lived in a monastery alongside Capuchin Franciscan friars.
"I know now that God was using my ego to draw me to Him. Drawing me away from worldly desires. It was all happening simultaneously," LaBeouf explained. "But there would have been no impetus for me to get in my car, drive up [to the monastery] if I didn't think, 'Oh, I'm gonna save my career.'"
It was there, and through learning more about the religion for the role, that he felt he had permission to not only convert but gain a sense of "hope" that allowed him to "find his way."
"It was seeing other people who have sinned beyond anything I could ever conceptualize also being found in Christ that made me feel like, 'Oh, that gives me hope,'" LaBeouf said. "I started hearing experiences of other depraved people who had found their way -- in this -- and it made me feel like I had permission."
The film wasn't the only thing that spurred his interest in the Catholic faith. LaBeouf revealed that before turning to the religion, he was in a dark place and even contemplated suicide.
"I had a gun on the table. I was outta here," he revealed. "I didn't want to be alive anymore when all this happened. Shame like I had never experienced before -- the kind of shame that you forget how to breathe. You don't know where to go. You can't go outside and get like, a taco."
"But I was also in this deep desire to hold on," LaBeouf added.
Later in the interview, the 36-year-old rejected the "method actor" label, maintaining instead that he likes to be "immersive," yet another thing about Catholicism that caught his eye.
"I feel a whole lot, I've got a big heart. I don't know if I'm a method guy -- and I think some of that stuff is ridiculous," LaBeouf said.
"I like to be immersive," he continued. "I like all immersive experiences, not just acting. That's probably why I like Catholicism as well. I like adventure, and that requires full immersion."
LaBeouf instead labeled himself an "immersive actor," adding that to him, method acting has a "bad smell."
"I would consider myself an immersive actor, but method acting has like, a bad smell to it," LaBeouf said. "Kind of douchey, kind of, just like, mean," telling Barron that it gives some people the excuse to "behave terribly."
LaBeouf's comments on religion come just days after in a new interview with Variety, Olivia Wilde spoke about those very behaviors which forced her fire LaBeouf from the set of her new film, Don't Worry Darling, after clashing with the cast and crew.
"I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work," says Wilde, who has a "No a**holes policy" on her sets. "His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances. I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job."
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