--- title: Shia LaBeouf Says Woman Raped Him During Performance Art Project description: The actor and performance artist opened up in an email interview about a traumatic experience during his exhibit #IAmSorry canonical: https://time.com/3609444/shia-labeouf-says-he-was-raped-during-a-performance-art-project/ author: Megan Gibson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-28T14:23:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:17.802Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Shia LaBeouf Says Woman Raped Him During Performance Art Project og:description: The actor and performance artist opened up in an email interview about a traumatic experience during his exhibit #IAmSorry og:url: https://time.com/3609444/shia-labeouf-says-he-was-raped-during-a-performance-art-project/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d1d49138277ed23/698762c8524fc05846dea10b/ap717024775738.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Shia LaBeouf og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Shia LaBeouf Says Woman Raped Him During Performance Art Project twitter:description: The actor and performance artist opened up in an email interview about a traumatic experience during his exhibit #IAmSorry twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d1d49138277ed23/698762c8524fc05846dea10b/ap717024775738.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:45 video:published: 2014-01-08 section: entertainment topics: Shia LaBeouf, plagiarism allegations, Twitter apologies, Nymphomaniac casting, Daniel Clowes, cease and desist, skywritten apology, celebrity controversy genre: news explainer, entertainment news tones: satirical, critical, playful, incredulous emotions: amusement (medium), disbelief (high), disapproval (medium) sentiment: negative audience: entertainment news readers, film fans, social media users, general news audiences people: Shia LaBeouf, Lars von Trier, Daniel Clowes, Mark Zuckerberg, Nick Clegg, Gucci Mane, Lauren Zima organizations: TIME, Yahoo Answers products: Nymphomaniac, Twitter content_suitability: sexual content [00:14-00:46]; profanity [00:17-00:31] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Shia LaBeouf Says He Was Raped During a Performance Art Project > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: A Guide To Shia LaBeouf's Bizarre Antics [Watch (HLS stream): A Guide To Shia LaBeouf's Bizarre Antics](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5R4BHUSr.m3u8) (2:45)  _Published 2014-01-08. There’s all the allegations of plagiarism and some high-profile Twitter feuds, but that’s just the beginning of some of the more bizarre antics of actor Shia LaBeouf._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Actor Shia LaBeouf is profiled over a recent run of controversies. The video covers his claim that he sent Lars von Trier a picture of his penis to land a role in Nymphomaniac, and allegations of plagiarism tied to a short film that drew on a Daniel Clowes comic. It also covers his apology tweets, which reportedly echoed other public apologies, a skywritten apology, and a follow-up tweet about a new short that Clowes's lawyers reportedly objected to. ## Key points - LaBeouf says he sent director Lars von Trier a picture of his penis as his first request during the Nymphomaniac production process. (00:17) - LaBeouf jokes that he sent a video of himself having sex with his girlfriend and that is how he got the job. (00:43) - An amateur short film LaBeouf released reportedly lifted from a Daniel Clowes comic without credit, leading to plagiarism allegations. (00:50) - LaBeouf's apology tweet bizarrely resembled a Yahoo Answers definition of plagiarism. (01:01) - LaBeouf reportedly followed up with a skywritten apology over Los Angeles, which Clowes, who lives in the Bay Area, would not have seen. (01:18) - Several of LaBeouf's apology tweets reportedly echoed wording from apologies by Mark Zuckerberg, Nick Clegg and Gucci Mane. (01:37) - LaBeouf tweeted a storyboard for a next short called Daniel Boring, a name similar to another Clowes work, and Clowes is reportedly considering legal action. (02:09) - LaBeouf posted pictures of a cease and desist letter from Clowes's lawyers, who called his behavior seriously out of control. (02:26) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:14] Recent controversies overview. The narrator introduces allegations of plagiarism, public brawling and Twitter feuds involving LaBeouf. - [00:14 to 00:30] Nymphomaniac audition claim. LaBeouf discusses sending a picture of his penis and a sex tape to land a role in Nymphomaniac. - [00:30 to 01:01] Plagiarism allegations. The short film lifted from a Daniel Clowes comic and LaBeouf's apology tweet are described. - [01:01 to 01:37] Skywritten and borrowed apologies. LaBeouf's skywritten apology and apology tweets echoing other public figures are covered. - [01:37 to 02:22] Daniel Boring and legal threat. LaBeouf's storyboard tweet and possible legal action from Clowes are discussed. - [02:22 to 02:45] Cease and desist response. LaBeouf posts a cease and desist letter and the video closes with a closing remark. ## Key quotes - [00:31] Shia LaBeouf: "My first-- the first request on their-- on the production, and nothing large but from production was pictures of my penis." - [00:43] Shia LaBeouf: "I sent them a video tape of me and my girlfriend having sex and that's how I got my job." - [02:22] interviewer: "seriously out of control" ## Questions this video answers - What did LaBeouf claim he sent to director Lars von Trier to get a role? [00:17] - What allegation of plagiarism is made against LaBeouf's short film? [00:50] - Which public figures' apology wording did LaBeouf's apology tweets reportedly resemble? [01:37] - What is Daniel Clowes reportedly considering doing in response to LaBeouf's actions? [02:18] - What did Clowes's lawyers say about LaBeouf in the cease and desist letter? [02:26] ## Content suitability - sexual content [00:14-00:46]: Discussion of sending a picture of a penis and a sex tape to secure a film role. - profanity [00:17-00:31]: Explicit sexual references are described in frank terms. by [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Nov 28, 2014 2:23 PM UTC  Shia LaBeouf poses for photographers at a film premiere in London, Oct. 19, 2014. Shia LaBeouf poses for photographers at a film premiere in London, Oct. 19, 2014. Joel Ryan—Invision/AP by [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Nov 28, 2014 2:23 PM UTC Back in February, Shia LaBeouf staged his #IAmSorry performance art exhibit in a Los Angeles gallery where people were able to enter a room alone with the actor and do and say whatever they wished as he sat silently wearing a paper bag over his head that read: “I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE.” The project resulted in a traumatic experience for the actor which he has revealed in an email interview with [_Dazed Digital_](http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/22732/1/shia-labeouf-the-interview). When asked if anything “unsettling” had taken place during the performance, LaBeouf answered: --- > “” --- It’s unclear if LaBeouf has reported the assault to authorities. \[[_Dazed_](http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/22732/1/shia-labeouf-the-interview)\] ## Transcript [00:00] Shia LaBeouf has had a rough last couple of weeks. [00:04] Allegations of plagiarism, public brawling and some [00:07] high profile Twitter feuds. Here's everything you could [00:11] ever want to know about it all. Starting off with [00:14] something you probably didn't want to know, how's [00:17] this for a headshot. The actor just revealed he sent [00:21] a picture of his penis to director Lars Von Trier to [00:26] land a starring role in the drama Nymphomaniac [00:29] Volume [00:30] >>One and Two. [00:31] >>My first-- the first request on their-- on the [00:34] production, and nothing large but from production was [00:38] pictures of my penis. [00:40] >>Not quite the audition he joked about last year. [00:43] >>I sent them a video tape of me and my girlfriend [00:45] having sex and that's how I got my job. [00:46] >>Sex, pictures of his penis, and then there's the [00:50] more serious P word, plagiarism. An amateur short [00:54] film LaBeouf released lifted from a Daniel Clowes [00:57] comic without credit which resulted in this apology [01:01] tweet-- an apology which bizarrely looked awfully [01:05] similar to this Yahoo Answers' definition of plagiarism. [01:10] So, the actor maybe plagiarized an apology for [01:13] plagiarizing and then, followed up with this bizarre [01:18] sky- written apology over Los Angeles. It tops sending [01:21] flowers-- we'll give him that. Clowes by the way lives in [01:25] the bay area so he wouldn't have even seen that [01:28] apology. But what's more, LaBeouf's various [01:30] subsequent Twitter apologies and yes there were [01:33] several sent to Clowes were apparently inspired by [01:37] different people. One apology tweet had the phrase, " I [01:40] wish I hadn't made so many of you angry ." Exact [01:44] words from a Mark Zuckerberg apology in 2006. [01:47] Another apology tweet mirrored even the spelling of a [01:51] 2012 apology from UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick [01:55] Clegg. One from earlier this month looked exactly like [01:58] one from rapper Gucci Mane-- makes you wonder if [02:02] the whole thing is some kind of joke but then, LaBeouf [02:06] ups the antic even more, he tweeted this. What he [02:09] called a storyboard for his next short " Daniel Boring" A [02:14] similar name and seemingly concept as, of course, yet [02:18] another Daniel Clowes work. Needless to say Clowes [02:22] is considering legal action against the star but LaBeouf [02:26] is not backing down. Also Wednesday, he posted [02:29] pictures of a Cease and Desist letter from Clowes' [02:32] lawyers who called LaBeouf, " seriously out of control ." [02:36] No word yet on whether LaBeouf responded by calling [02:40] the lawyers, " seriously out of control ." 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