Shia LaBeouf is revealing more about his support system during his sobriety journey.
The 38-year-old actor spoke with The Hollywood Reporter alongside his Henry Johnson director David Mamet, and credited his sobriety to fellow actors, Mel Gibson, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.
In 2022, LaBeouf and Gibson formed a friendship after Gibson, 69, introduced traditional Latin Mass services to LaBeouf while he was conducting research for his film, Padre Pio — which ultimately led LaBeouf to convert to Catholicism, per IndieWire.
In LaBeouf’s Thursday, May 8 interview, he confirmed that he and Gibson are still “very close.”
“Big respect, big love. He’s always been very lovely to me,” LaBeouf said. “He held my hand when I was really s—ing on myself. Dude really stepped up for me in big ways.”
“Him, Sean Penn, James Brolin — these guys got me to sobriety,” the Peanut Butter Falcon actor revealed. “They got around me and kept me alive.”
“Sean also showed up and motivated me to do this as a play,” he explained. “I was scared as f— when this thing started,” he said, adding that Penn and Sam Rockwell came to support him from the first week.
“There was a bunch of guys that I looked up to that just started popping up. I had never, ever felt that kind of love — not like that.”
Rich Fury/Getty; JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty
Shia LeBeouf, Mel Gibson
Gibson notably got sober in 2010, after his 2006 arrest for drunk driving and his following anti-Semitic tirade that dominated headlines.
After Gibson got sober, he turned to Catholicism. LaBeouf later converted to Catholicism as well, after he found himself at the center of controversy. LaBeouf was arrested in 2017 in Georgia. He’s also become embroiled in a sexual-battery lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, singer FKA Twigs, who accused him of “relentless. LaBeouf has denied the allegations.
Brolin, 57, like Gibson and LaBeouf, has been open about his sobriety journey. Brolin got sober in 2013 when he was 45. Brolin’s decision to become sober came three years after he and LaBeouf worked on Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps together.
Meanwhile, Penn has publicly supported his son Hopper, 31, to get sober from his addiction to crystal meth. Unlike Brolin, LaBeouf has not worked with Penn on any projects together, but LaBeouf has shared how Penn served as one of his professional role models. In an October 2024 conversation with Interview, he said Penn’s roles are “far more appealing” to him. Despite LaBeouf’s proclamation over a decade ago, neither Penn nor LaBeouf have revealed much insight into their relationship.
Michael Kovac/Getty; Dominik Bindl/Getty
Sean Penn, Josh Brolin
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
Read the original article on People
