Does life imitate art, or does art imitate life? Now this question has become even more complicated with Shia LaBeouf’s most recent coverage in the media.
Jan. 30, LaBeouf tweeted, “I am not famous anymore.” The spiral only continued from there.
The actor quoted people such as David Mamet, Benoit Duteurtre, Tiger Woods, Kanye West and Daniel Clowes during a press conference Feb. 9 to promote his new movie Nymphomaniac.
He baffled the press when he only answered one question regarding the sex scenes in the movie, using a plagiarized quote from Eric Cantona, a French football player, from a 1995 interview. The quote he responded with was completely irrelevant to the question that was asked.
“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea,” he said.
He proceeded to thank the press and storm out of the conference, leaving his laughing co-stars awkwardly behind to answer the remaining questions.
That was not the last that was seen of LaBeouf that day. He later attended the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin sporting a brown paper bag over his head, painted with the phrase “I am not famous anymore” yet again.
He walked the red carpet, posing for pictures, peering out the two eyeholes he made for himself in the brown paper bag.
Many people took to Twitter to express their opinions about LaBeouf.
Among the flood of criticism is a tweet from singer John Mayer, who tweeted a message of support for the struggling actor.
“Re: Shia. Being young and very talented/successful is like dropping in to the top of Mount Everest via helicopter. There are moments in life where you need to feel quantum shift, movement. And if where you already are is considered the top the dumb people disintegrate, and the smart people investigate. That investigation is never comfortable. Or all that pretty,” Mayer tweeted.
LaBeouf’s fame only spouted from there. A Los Angeles art gallery incorporated the actor’s recent stunts into an installation piece. Upon entering, guests were given the option to pick from a variety of random items including a whip, Transformer toys, a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey and a novel by one of the victim’s of Shia’s plagiarism acts, Daniel Clowes.
Guests then continued into a room where they came face-to-face with the artist, who donned the same bag over his head that LaBeouf wore the night of the film festival. LaBeouf said nothing for the extent of the viewing.
At the film festival, LaBeouf removed the bag only once when a reporter for TMZ said it was distracting. Once he removed the bag, he revealed his vulnerability accessorized with red eyes and stray tears. A cameraman for TMZ reported that when he took the bag off his head, “His eyes were red and puffy as if his cat just died.”
Is LaBeouf’s strange behavior a means of making an artistic statement, or is he dealing with something deeper?
The best advice I have for Shia is wisdom borrowed from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken.”
Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu