Call it insanity. Call it dedication. But whatever it is, Sony may have gotten more than they bargained for when Shia LaBeouf signed up and joined the cast of "Fury", as the actor decided to cut his own face to accurately portray a battle-weary WWII soldier.
The Guardian reported reported that co-star Logan Lerman, in an interview with GQ Magazine, revealed the insanely painstaking method LaBeouf employs in an effort to make "Fury" a realistic war movie. According to Lerman, it all started when LaBeouf was sitting in the make-up chair getting fake cuts applied to his face for a scene.
"We were in make-up and they were putting cuts on Shia and I said, 'Yeah, yeah, it looks good.' And Shia was like, 'No, it doesn't look real'," Logan said.
He then walks out into the hallway and said, "Hey man, wanna see something fun? Check this out..." Then he took out a knife and proceeded to cut his face with it. Moreover, he would open the cuts all throughout production, seeing to it that the wounds look realistic for the entire duration of the film. Ouch.
But apparently, facial mutilation isn't enough for LaBeouf. The Guardian added there were previous reports that he also had a tooth removed and neglected hygiene by not taking showers - all in the name of getting into his character for the film.
The tooth extraction was confirmed by Logan. "I mean, he didn't do it himself," the co-star said. "He did go to a dentist and asked them to pull his tooth out but yeah, what an odd request."
Nevertheless, for his dedication, LaBeouf became an expert tank operator, Cinema Blend reported. "He really spent every moment on set," Lerman said in the report. "He's the guy operating the turret in every shot, even when you don't need to be in there as an actor. You know, you can have somebody else inside. But he was there, for every shot."
Set during the last month of the European theater of World War II in 1945, LaBeouf plays Boyd "Bible" Swan, according to Variety, one of the five-man crew of an M4A3E8 Sherman tank called "Fury" under the command of US Army Staff Sergeant Don "Wardaddy" Collier, played by Brad Pitt.
"Fury" is directed and written by David Ayer, best known for his work 2001's "Training Day" and 2012's "End of Watch". Set for release on October 17, 2014, it will also star Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood.
Join the Conversation