Shia LaBeouf, the Hollywood actor known for Transformers and controversial behavior, found salvation through preparing to play St. Padre Pio in a film. His conversion is one of the most dramatic in recent Hollywood history.
Rock Bottom in Hollywood
At his lowest point, LaBeouf was contemplating suicide. "I had a gun on the table. I was outta here," he recalled. "I didn't want to be alive anymore when all this happened." He was "nuclear" in Hollywood—no one wanted to work with him after a series of public scandals.
The Padre Pio Opportunity
Director Abel Ferrara, participating in a virtual self-help group with LaBeouf, asked if he had ever heard of Padre Pio. LaBeouf hadn't, but saw it as "my chance to get back on the hustle." Looking back, he marveled: "It was like somebody tricked me into it. Now I worship that Trickster."
Shia LaBeouf Conversion Journey
To prepare for the role, LaBeouf drove to San Lorenzo Seminary in Santa Ynez, California, where Capuchin friars befriended him. He needed to learn about Catholic faith and how to convincingly celebrate Mass for the film.
The traditional Latin Mass became central to both his conversion and performance. When LaBeouf discovered he was already baptized, the Italian Capuchins encouraged him to receive Communion. One friar told him: "You can't play Padre Pio without receiving Communion!"
"I start feeling a physical effect from it," LaBeouf said of receiving the Eucharist. "I start feeling a reprieve and it starts feeling regenerative, and start enjoying it to such a degree I don't want to miss it, ever."
Learning to pray the rosary gave him the "tangible relief" he had long sought through drinking and drugs.
Finding New Life in Christ
On December 31, 2023, Bishop Robert Barron confirmed LaBeouf at Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, California, surrounded by the Capuchin friars who had guided his journey.
"Pio saved my life, this is not just a movie or something, and I don't mean that lightly," LaBeouf told Bishop Barron. He "fell in love with Christ" while preparing for the role.