The first look for David Ayer’s upcoming movie The Tax Collector came out this week ahead of its release next month. The thriller stars Shia LaBeouf as an intimidating crime lord called Creeper whose business gets upended in Los Angeles when his rival comes back to town. And LaBeouf’s commitment to the role includes a very permanent souvenir on his chest. Check out what the writer/director recently revealed about his Tax Collector star:
He’s one of the best actors I’ve worked with, and he’s the most committed to body and soul. He had a tooth pulled on Fury, and then on Tax Collector, he got his whole chest tattooed. So he kind of goes all in, and I’ve never known anyone that committed.
Shia LaBeouf already has a track record of going the extra mile for his work, but this is on a whole new level! As Ayer recalled in his interview with Slash Film, the actor previously went to extreme lengths to get into character for 2014 WWII epic Fury by getting his tooth pulled, opening cuts on his face and skipping showers. And for Tax Collector, the massive tattoos on his chest we’re actually inked into his skin. Check out an image from the film below:
Looking badass, Shia. Don’t believe it quite yet? Here’s the actor showing off his tats while out and about. As you can read his character name “Creeper” is written across his chest:
Hey, at least David Ayer didn’t think of Shia for his Joker in Suicide Squad, right? He might’ve inked in “damaged” across his face, too. Either way, this is some serious commitment to a role. The actor was already well-tatted ahead of starring in this role – he has a star-studded collection of Missy Elliott, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Dr. Dre on his thighs, for example.
It is strange that the entirety of The Tax Collector won't include Shia LaBeouf walking around shirtless considering the time, pain and money that went into transforming for the role. You can check out the trailer below:
Shia LaBeouf is coming off an incredible 2019 that had the actor starring in two of the most critically-acclaimed roles of his career. He was in The Peanut Butter Falcon, which led his co-star Dakota Johnson to call him “the greatest actor of my generation.” He also starred in the deeply emotional film Honey Boy, from a screenplay he wrote about his own life while in rehab.
The Tax Collector continues David Ayer’s exploration of the world of crime in Los Angeles and is the first film for the writer/director since Netflix’s Bright. He's also recently been back in online discussions for his discourse with fans over his Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad. The Tax Collector hits VOD and select theaters on August 7.
