The 'Lawless' actor posts a series of private emails between him and Alec Baldwin among others, letting people know about the 'creative differences' that led him to bow out of the Broadway show.
- Feb 21, 2013
AceShowbiz - Shia LaBeouf will not be making his Broadway debut through "Orphans" after all. The former "Transformers" lead actor has abruptly quit the gig, citing "creative differences" as the reason behind his departure. Furthermore, he takes to his Twitter to publicly post screenshots of private emails with his co-stars and others, letting people know the problem behind his exit.
One of the screenshots features Shia's exchange with director Daniel Sullivan in which the young actor apologizes to co-star Alec Baldwin for "my part of a dis-agreeable situation." Sullivan replies, "I'm too old for disagreeable situations. you're one hell of a great actor. Alec is who he is. you are who you are. you two are incompatible. i should have known it. this one will haunt me. you tried to warn me. you said you were a different breed. i didn't get it."
Shia also shares an email from Alec, who assures the "Lawless (2012)" star that there's no bad blood between them following the younger actor's exit. "I've been through this before. It's been a while. And perhaps some of the particulars are different," the "30 Rock" star states.
"But it comes down to the fact that what we all do now is critical. Perhaps especially for you. When the change comes, how do we handle it, whether it be good or bad? What do we learn? I don't have an unkind word to say about you. You have my word," says Alec to which Shia responds, "same. ... good luck on the play. you'll be great."
Shia was expected to star opposite Alec and Tom Sturridge in "Orphans". The 26-year-old actor was set to star as a petty thief called Treat, while the 54-year-old thesp would play an older gangster called Harold. Treat was an orphaned thief who supported his mentally ill little brother. One day, Treat kidnapped Harold and he soon realized that he might have found a father figure he'd been longing for.
The show is set to be previewed on March 19 and opened on April 7 at the Schoenfeld Theatre. In less than a week after the rehearsals began, the prodducers confirmed Shia's departure. The producers reportedly cut him loose after director Sullivan "became worried" about the actor and "his performance choice."
