Shia LaBeouf converts from Judaism to Christianity
Controversial American actor says he 'found God' while filming 'Fury' with Brad Pitt, who helped him through his conversion.
Between announcing his retirement from the public eye, claiming "I am not famous anymore," to hosting an art exhibit a la Marina Abramovitch to hiring a skywriter to apologize for plagiarizing Daniel Clowes, LaBeouf has been called everything from eccentric to insane.
Now, LaBeouf has shared with Interview magazine that after filming "Fury," a World War II film co-starring Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman, he was inspired to convert to Christianity.
LaBeouf’s character in "Fury" is a devout Christian who often quotes from the Bible and discusses his faith. Apparently, while preparing for the role, he "found God" in real life.
"I became a Christian man, and not in a f***ing b*llshit way – in a very real way. I could have just said the prayers that were on the page," LaBeouf stated.
"It was a real thing that really saved me... It's a full-blown exchange of heart, a surrender of control," he added.
LaBeouf was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah. In 2004, he said in a book he contributed to that he believed it was "beneficial to be Jewish" and that he had a "personal relationship with God that happens to work within the confines of Judaism."
"Really, I feel cocky when I say I am Jewish, not bad cocky, but good cocky. Because what I am really saying is that I am one of the few chosen ones out there," he wrote.
LaBeouf also told Interview that Brad Pitt and "Fury" director David Ayer helped him through his conversion.
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life .
