After Joseph Gordon-Levitt left the room, the next to enter was Shia LaBeouf, which made Eric squint in displeasure. This guy was the original lead in "Transformers."
Eric had just said that he had no actors he disliked, but that was a lie. Shia LaBeouf was one he couldn't stand. However, his agent was well-acquainted with Eric's father, and despite Shia being only 16 and still a high school student, he had to be allowed to audition.
Before his time-travel journey, LaBeouf had long faded from the spotlight, but many had already forgotten that he was a real Hollywood troublemaker, making even Ezra Miller seem innocent. At 19, LaBeouf threatened a neighbor with a knife and narrowly escaped serious consequences.
When he became famous thanks to "Transformers," he completely lost himself, became addicted to alcohol, and turned into a real alcoholic. First, he was arrested for attempting to rob a pharmacy in Chicago while intoxicated. Then, two months later, he was arrested for smoking in a public place in Burbank, ignored the court summons, and was declared wanted with a reward of only $1,000. Eventually, under public pressure, he paid the fine.
Later, he was arrested for drunk driving when his hand was hit by a truck, leading to a fracture. That's why in "Transformers 2," there was a scene with Sam's injured hand—Michael Bay had to rewrite the script to avoid delaying filming.
Then he criticized Steven Spielberg, calling him old and condemning "Indiana Jones 4" as a failure, even though Spielberg had helped him get his role in "Transformers."
He also harassed his colleague Alex during rehearsals for the Broadway play "Orphans," leading to his dismissal after Alex called the police. In 2012, on the set of "Lawless," while drunk, he attacked Tom Hardy and sent him to the hospital.
His reputation was so tarnished that he switched to directing. His short film won an award, but soon he was accused of plagiarism. LaBeouf apologized by sending a drone with a letter, but even this he did wrong, sending it to the wrong address.
In 2019, he reached the peak of his scandalous behavior by writing and directing a film about his childhood, "Honey Boy," in which his father was depicted as a tyrant. But after viewers started sympathizing with him, LaBeouf confessed that it was all fiction. He even faked the script to trick his father into signing consent for the shoot, setting him up for public condemnation.
These are just some of his misdeeds. Additionally, he was seen beating up a girl and attacking a homeless person, making him even more insane than Ezra Miller.
Given all this, Eric would never use him in his project unless he went mad.
"Shia LaBeouf, are you familiar with the 'Transformers' story?"
"Yes, I've seen the series on TV."
"Name me a few Autobots and Decepticons."
LaBeouf hesitated. In reality, he had never watched "Transformers," only familiarized himself with the basics for the audition.
"Optimus Prime, Megatron, and... and..." he stammered.
"Seems like you're not very familiar with the material. Lying to the producer is not a good idea," Eric said, clicking his tongue.
LaBeouf tried to explain, but Eric didn't give him the chance, continuing:
"Can you drive well? The lead character has many car scenes."
This question was also a trap, as according to California laws, minors can get a license at 16 but with several restrictions: no driving at night, must be accompanied by adults, cannot transport other people, and so on.
Trying to wriggle out, LaBeouf replied, "Sir, I have a license, and I can practice. It's not..."
Eric interrupted him again:
"We don't have time for practice. Filming is in just two months. Do you understand that?"
The other members of the panel froze. He had just told Joseph Gordon-Levitt that filming would be three months, and now suddenly changed his words.
When LaBeouf fell silent in confusion, Eric nonchalantly said:
"Alright, it's not that important. Let's start the scene."
Inside, Shia was already exploding: "If it's not important, why scare me?" But his spirit was broken, and he couldn't perform the scene properly, stumbling three times before leaving the room in a gloomy mood.
Eric encouraged him with a few words, saying he had a bright future and just performed poorly today. LaBeouf left, thinking this producer was actually a good person.
After he left, Eric said:
"See? He's too young, can't handle pressure. If he can't cope with a few questions, how will he manage on set?"
The colleagues sitting next to him exchanged silent glances again. Eric seemed to manage to say both good and bad things, shifting all the blame to others.
Outside, seeing LaBeouf almost in tears, the remaining candidates felt uneasy. Although he was not well-known, he still didn't deserve such harsh treatment. This casting was clearly too severe!
Calming down, James McAvoy stood up, ready for his audition. Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender encouraged him.
"You can do it, James. This is your chance, grab it. You are Sam."
"I am Sam! I am Sam!"
Taking deep breaths and practicing self-suggestion, James McAvoy entered the audition room.
As soon as he appeared, several jury members realized he was doomed to fail.
First, his height. Gal Gadot was 175 cm tall, and this elegant Brit was only 170 cm. This created inconveniences.
Moreover, his appearance was even more "intellectual" than Joseph Gordon-Levitt's. Thin eyebrows, large expressive eyes, thin lips, and a small mouth—perfect features for an art film hero. He could even play the lead female role if he wanted to sacrifice his image.
But for the image of an American hero, this was completely unacceptable. Eric would definitely not be pleased.
Without much thought, James McAvoy left with an embarrassed expression, and Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender immediately approached him with questions.
"James, how did it go?"
"Failed. He clearly indicated that I wasn't suitable, but offered another role."
"What role?"
"Not the lead, but an important one, with close-ups and dialogues. In general, not just an extra."
Tom and Michael immediately understood why he was so embarrassed. Auditioning for the lead role and getting something secondary was certainly disappointing.
"James, will you take it?"
"Why not? With my current fame, it's better than nothing."
Shortly after McAvoy's failure, Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender were also rejected.
At that moment, Tom was not yet the muscular monster he would become later as Bane. He was known as a handsome thug whose appearance said: "This guy is a bad guy," which did not fit Sam's image at all.
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