Bryan Cranston Calls Out Shia LaBeouf

by Ellen DurneyBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffHi, I’m Ellen!

Content warning: This post briefly discusses alcoholism.

One thing I love about celebs is that they’re not afraid to get a little messy every now and then. However, there’s throwing shade, and then there’s whatever Bryan Cranston just did in this interview.

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For context, Bryan and his Malcolm in the Middle co-star, Frankie Muniz, are currently promoting the show’s reboot series, Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair. And, this week, the duo sat down with Esquire to answer some questions about their careers.

Esquire / Via youtu.be

At one point in the interview, Bryan asked Frankie to name a TV or movie role he wished he hadn’t passed on. This prompted Frankie to mention that he was initially set to star in the 2003 movie Holes, which is based on the 1998 novel of the same name.

©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

The story follows a boy called Stanley Yelnats IV, who is wrongly convicted of theft and sent to Camp Green Lake, a brutal Texas juvenile detention center, where he discovers truths about his cursed family history. Frankie explained that he was “100%” signed on to star as Stanley, but then the first Agent Cody Banks movie was greenlit, and he chose to do that instead.

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As we all know, fellow former-child-star Shia LaBeouf wound up taking his place in Holes, and the starring role helped launch his movie career in the 2000s.

©Buena Vista Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

With this in mind, Frankie questioned how his career might have played out differently had he chosen to do Holes instead of Agent Cody Banks, which prompted Bryan to make some pretty brutal comments.

Esquire / Via youtu.be

“Right. You could’ve ended up with Shia LaBeouf’s life,” Bryan said, looking right into the camera and letting out a sarcastic whistle.

Esquire / Via youtu.be

“Keep that one in,” he said to the producers behind the camera, before bluntly adding: “Shia, get some help.”

Esquire / Via youtu.be

Of course, Bryan's comments are presumably in reference to Shia’s troubled history with alcoholism and abuse allegations. This year, he has been arrested twice already, facing three charges of simple battery stemming from altercations in New Orleans, including one incident where he was accused of using anti-gay slurs against two men.

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Last month, a New Orleans judge ordered Shia to enter rehab as well as to submit to weekly drug tests. During a recent interview, the 39-year-old actor denied having a “drinking problem” and said he’s “not into” the idea of going to rehab, because: “I don’t think my answers are there.”

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In the same interview, he also took "1000%" responsibility for the altercations in New Orleans, saying: "It's not nice to hurt people, ever...People got hurt, I'mma deal with that...It's not on them, it's on me."

Well, with all that context in mind, Bryan’s suggestion that Shia should “get some help” has certainly made some waves online, with many fans left stunned by his, um, sharp delivery.

Esquire / Via youtu.be

“Oh, this was way more direct than I was expecting,” one Reddit user wrote, while someone else commented on the “way he tells them to leave this part in.” “He's not wrong,” added another.

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“More people in Hollywood gotta start saying it,” suggested another user.

Interestingly, one user noted that Shia and Frankie had some online beef in 2010, sparked by Shia randomly taking shots at Frankie in interviews. “Cranston probably remembers this,” one user hypothesized.

Well, whatever the case, Bryan is speaking his truth. You can watch the full Esquire clip here.

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