Shia LaBeouf's exit from Broadway's Orphans sounds even more dramatic than the play itself! After producers announced Wednesday, Feb. 20 that LaBeouf would be leaving the show "due to creative differences," the actor is shedding new light on exactly what those differences were — and who they were with.
Shortly after his departure was made official, LaBeouf, 26, posted a video of his audition for Orphans as well as screen shot images of alleged email exchanges with director Daniel Sullivan, playwright Lyle Kessler and costars Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge. The exchanges seem to address some fight that occurred behind the scenes between LaBeouf and Baldwin, 54, with Sullivan saying, "You two are incompatible."
The main exchange centers around a letter LaBeouf sent to his coworkers with the subject, "Apology." Below is the text of the intense, freewheeling emails LaBeouf shared on Twitter.
Shia LaBeouf's Apology Letter
"My dad was a drug dealer. He was a s–t human. But he was a man. He taught me how to be a man. What I know of men, Alec is. A man is good at his job. Not his work, not his avocation, not his hobby. Not his career. His job. A man can look you up and down and figure some things out. Before you say a word, he makes you. From your suitcase, from your watch, from your posture. A man infers. A man owns up. That's why [former MLB player] Mark McGwire is not a man. A man grasps his mistakes. He lays claim to who he is, and what he was, whether he likes them or not. Some mistakes, though, he lets pass if no one notices. Like dropping the steak in the dirt."
"He does not rely on rationalizations or explanations. He doesn't winnow, winnow, winnow until truths can be humbly categorized, or intellectualized, until behavior can be written off with an explanation. A man knows his tools and how to use them –- just the ones he needs. Knows which saw is for what, how to find the stud. A man does not know everything. He doesn't try. He likes what other men know. A man can tell you he was wrong. That he did wrong. That he planned to. He can tell you when he is lost. He can apologize, even if sometimes it's just to put an end to the bickering. Alec, I'm sorry for my part of a disagreeable situation."
Sullivan's Response to LaBeouf
"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."
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Baldwin's Response to LaBeouf
"I've been through this before. It's been a while. And perhaps some of the particulars are different. 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."
LaBeouf replied to Baldwin, "Same . . . good luck on the play. You'll be great."
Sturridge's Response to LaBeouf
"Are you still here? I don't really know what to write. I went in this afternoon and they were all there . . . producers, etc. I said my piece but they didn't really listen. I don't understand what has happened here. Maybe you have had a more enlightening conversation with someone by now. All I can say is that it truly was an honour to work with you even if it was only for a few days. I was stunned by the work you were doing, the performance you were giving. I think you lifted the play to a place high than maybe it even deserved to be. I hope this isn't the last time we work together and I especially hope it isn't the last time we see each other. Hope you're ok brother."
LaBeouf tweeted a reply to Sienna Miller's fiance Sturridge, praising the British actor: "Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance. Tom = good dude – good actor."
