(rhythmic music)
- Have any of you had a dream project where you've taken to
a director or another actor and said like, you must do this?
"Honey Boy" is your project, you wrote it.
- Yeah.
- But if you haven't seen it, it's terrific.
- It's unbelievable. - [Shia] Thank you.
- And the man is incredible.
- [Stephen] So who did you want to do it with you?
- My back was against the wall,
I was nuclear at this point,
so it wasn't like a dream project.
It felt like survival.
Like there was no other way to go.
I didn't have a lot of people talking to me.
I was in a mental institution.
So it wasn't like,
oh this is my my dream project I'd like to explore this,
it was like my back's against the wall.
This is the craft that I love and I can't do it anymore.
I hadn't talked to my dad
for seven years before I started this up,
so I didn't really know my dad too well.
- Has it changed your thinking about him or anything?
- Yeah, and made me better at my craft
and created a relationship, and yeah.
- Did you ever think of not playing the part
and did you ever think of directing it?
- Never thought of directing it
'cause that's just not my gig
but definitely didn't think
I'd be able to play it, you know.
I was not in a spot where people were like,
hey let's put some money on this kid's back
and have him carry a movie.
So I thought my acting career was done.
I was gonna join the Peace Corps.
I wasn't really trying to-- - [Stephen] Wow.
- Yeah I was out.
Completely, yeah.
Yeah, sent it to Mel Gibson.
I thought he was the guy to play my dad.
And my dad was also thinking along the same lines.
It's one thing to wanna play your dad,
it's another thing to go stand in front of your father
after seven years of not talking and go hey man,
I'm gonna play you when there's contention already
and we weren't on good terms so I lied to him
and told him hey, Mel Gibson's gonna play you,
sign right here--
(laughing)
And my dad loves Mel Gibson.
- Who doesn't wanna be played by Mel Gibson?
- So my dad signed the paper under the auspices
that he was gonna be played by Braveheart, you know, so...
(laughing)
- You said you were in a mental institution.
Is there anything you discovered there
that's been helpful for your acting?
- Yeah, empathy for my father,
who was always the biggest villain in my life
and I think if you can empathize
with the biggest villain in your life
and sort of scrape some of these shadows
and it makes you lighter, freer.
I don't think I was leading with love
and my life has changed.
You may or may not attest but I feel like
when you lead with lightness and love
you can get to the heavy easier.
It's much easier, much more accessible.
Like anger and the rough shit is very easy.
It's the other stuff that feels quite difficult.
Get an honest laugh is very hard.
(upbeat music)
- Have you ever felt, Shia,
that there's a life and death moment
in acting where your whole life depends
on you pulling this off?
- Yes.
- Which one?
- Every time.
It feels like you're next on the chopping block every time.
- How do you get past that anxiety?
- Prep hard.
Just like boxing.
It's just like boxing.
Guys train really hard to go put their neck on the line.
Never been in the military
but it feels life and death to me.
So, prep hard.
Determination.
- Who, Shia, has most intimidated you that you've worked
with and who have you learned from the most?
Everyone's intimidated by Oliver, right?
- Yeah.
Different, not intimidating.
He would never look me in the eyes,
he always looked just above my eye in the eyelid.
(laughing)
- Really?
- [Shia] Yeah.
- Why?
- It's just his way.
Maybe just with me.
But probably being around Hardy.
Hardy's a bit of a gorilla on the set.
- [Stephen] Tom Hardy.
- [Shia] Yeah, probably.
I was most intimidated by him.
- What do you mean a bit of a gorilla?
- Well he runs the set.
You know, he'd pee in the corners, it's his set.
You know it when you get there.
Don't feel like a shared space, it feels like his space.
And he's a very good actor.
And also super loving, but on a set you're in his church.
- Who has taught you the most?
- Bob. - Really?
- Yeah, definitely. From afar.
- Not really like that, I'm not surprised.
(laughing)
- We can all just be quiet.
(laughing)
(upbeat music)