Shia LaBeouf’s life and career had taken a dark turn before 2022's Padre Pio got him out of acting exile, as he faced sexual battery accusations from ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs and was fired from Don’t Worry Darling. However, the actor was inspired to forge a new path after portraying the real-life friar-turned-saint, converting to Catholicism. Now LaBeouf may be making his most unexpected move yet, as he reportedly wants to further his involvement with the Catholic Church by becoming a deacon.
After playing St. Pio of Pietrelcina in Padre Pio, Shia LaBeouf announced that he had joined the Catholic faith, and according to Capuchin friar Brother Alexander Rodriguez, becoming a deacon “sometime in the future” is something that the actor has been talking about for a couple of years. Rodriguez told Catholic News Agency:
He just spontaneously said, ‘I want to become a deacon,’ and he still feels that way.
Brother Alexander Rodriguez, who reportedly played the role of a friar in Padre Pio, served as Shia LaBeouf’s sponsor as The Peanut Butter Falcon actor was officially received into the Catholic Church on December 31 when he participated in the sacrament of confirmation.
This ceremony and news that Shia LaBeouf wants to join the diaconate is the latest step in his journey to become Catholic, which began when he chose to live in a monastery in order to feel closer to the saint he was portraying in the movie. As a method actor, LaBeouf lived amongst the priests and learned how some of them had overcome their own sins to find salvation. This provided hope for the former Disney Channel star, whose troubled past has made headlines for incidents both on and off the set of his movies.
Shia LaBeouf opened up in 2018 about his arrests and the PTSD he suffered after witnessing the sexual assault of his mother when he was only 9 years old. That year — 1996 — also marked the first time he was arrested, per the L.A. Times. In regards to his career, LaBeouf reportedly went to some dangerous lengths to prepare for his 2014 movie Fury, and was involved in a “volatile” moment with co-star Scott Eastwood that apparently required Brad Pitt to intervene.
After the abuse allegations by FKA Twigs, Shia LaBeouf stepped away from acting and entered an inpatient rehab facility in early 2021. But his troubles didn’t end there, as he was charged with petty theft and battery after an altercation that May. LaBeouf’s research for Padre Pio at the monastery began just a couple of months later in July 2021, starting the actor on a new trajectory.
In addition to possibly becoming a deacon in the Catholic Church, Shia LaBeouf has a few other projects in the works, including Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited passion project Megalopolis. Keep an eye out for what’s next for the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull actor, as well as everything else that’s headed to theaters soon by checking out our 2024 movie release calendar.
