Shia LaBeouf: Arrested, Charged with DUI; Undergoes "Extensive" Hand Surgery

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" star Shia Labeouf has been arrested and charged with DUI in connection with an accident that sent him to the hospital for head, knee and hand injuries. Shia underwent surgery for what have been described as 'severe' hand injuries. Unfortunately, Shia troubles aren't startling or even particularly original. To be fair, Hollywood stars getting into trouble is nothing new. Shia joins the ranks of many of Hollywood's venerable and not so venerable stars, trying to navigate the tricky morass of stardom from the depths of a bottle.

Like many of his predecessors who have traipsed down this road to self destruction, Shia seems to be afflicted with the "tortured genius" mentality. Their also seems to be a concerted effort on his part to distance himself from his squeaky clean Disney built image and grow himself up. This most recent incident may go a long way towards achieving this goal, in a way Labeouf may not be ready for. Not only was he injured in the crash but his passenger and the driver of the other car was injured as well. While no injuries were life threatening, it's for sure lawyers on all sides will get some face time.

Looking at this situation simply from the vantage point of stardom, it's easy to be judgmental and decry this behavior as asinine and juvenile. However, stars are people and as such, they suffer from the same variety of dysfunctions as the rest of us. According to Wikipedia, just a brief read of Labeouf's back story elicits a father who suffered from drug addiction and stints in drug rehab. Shia himself grew up, poor, with his mother in Echo Park, a largely Latino and African American section of Los Angeles. He says that he did not choose acting because of his love for it, but because he wanted make some money. Perhaps it was his upbringing that led him to take to the stages of local comedy clubs at the age of 10 with what he described as "disgustingly dirty" material and a "50-year-old mouth on a 10-year-old kid".

Though, Labeouf's acting persona has been described as "the scrappy kid next door", this former child star is maturing into an unconventionally attractive and sexy actor with leading man potential. In addition, there's nothing like doing a little inside time to give one that much sought after street cred that solidifies the Hollywood image.

He landed his breakout role as Louis Stevens on Disney's Even Stevens at the age of 17. After Even Stevens wrapped in 2003, Labeouf, made the leap to the big screen. His breakout role as Stanley Yelnats in "Holes," which was based on the very popular novel, of the same name by Louis Sachar, opened to critical and mass success. Steven Spielberg was impressed by his performance and cast him as Sam Witwicky in "Transformers" and later as Indiana Jones's latest sidekick in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

Like many before him, Labeouf's career may be enhanced by this latest run-in, however, it's a slippery slope and some fair better than others. While there seems to be no indication that Labeouf was under the influence of drugs, the death of Heath Ledger is still fresh in the minds of many. One hopes that Labeouf's injuries will open his eyes to the dangers inherent in a sustained course toward self-destruction.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_LaBeouf

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/11/04/shia-labeouf-arrested