In his first interview since the Mardi Gras incident that led to his arrest for battery in New Orleans, actor Shia LaBeouf suggested that he was provoked by gay men.
During a disjointed conversation with Andrew Callaghan of the independent journalism outfit Channel 5, LaBeouf said he rarely encounters “weirdos” in the Big Easy, but people have different “motivations” during Mardi Gras.
“I’ll be honest with you, big gay people are scary to me,” said LaBeouf, who is accused of shouting homophobic slurs while drunkenly assaulting two men outside of a bar in the French Quarter on Feb 17.
“When I’m, like, standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared,” he added. “I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I’m that. Yeah.”
LaBeouf also explained that he shouldn’t have reacted in such a physical fashion.
“I am wrong for touching anyone. Ever. And that’s the end of my statement on this whole shit,” LaBeouf said.
During a Feb. 26 hearing, Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine ordered LaBeouf to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol rehabilitation as well as weekly drug tests. She also described him as a threat to the safety of NOLA and its LGBTQ+ community.
“This defendant does not take his alcohol addiction seriously,” Levine said. “This court does not believe he understands the level of seriousness when it comes to these allegations.”
During the interview, LaBeouf said he disagreed with Levine’s assessment.
“I don’t think I have a drinking problem. I think I have a different problem, and I’m gonna address it. I think I have a small man complex,” said the 5-foot-9 actor. “Some kind of Napoleonic…. I don’t know what it is.”
According to court records, LaBeouf was arrested again and charged with one additional count of simple battery on the same Saturday as the interview’s release. It is unclear if the new charge was connected to the Feb. 17 brawl.
Watch LaBeouf’s full sit-down with Channel 5 here.
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