Shia LaBeouf finds it "freeing to f**k up".
The 29-year-old actor - who was arrested for public intoxication last October - has found himself behind bars five times and thinks it helps his creativity to reflect on his "screwups".
He said: "When I'm nervous in my creativity, I think of my failures in life and in art. Thinking about my screwups loosens the grip of fear. It's freeing to f**k up and to recover."
The 'Fury' star had found himself behind bars twice by the time he was just 11 years old.
Reflecting on his incarcerations in an essay, 'Error Breeds Sense', which he penned for new book Prison Ramen, he wrote: "I have been incarcerated five times. The first time I was only nine years old. It was in Pacoima, California.
"I was arrested for stealing a pair of Nike Cortezes from a local shop and held for six hours.
"The second time I was eleven, in the city of Tujunga, California. I was arrested for stealing a Gameboy Pokémon from Kmart. That time, too, I was in a substation for about six hours."
Despite his youthful experiences, Shia admits he didn't really learn his lesson until he was 20 and found himself behind bars for an attempted stabbing.
He continued: "The third time I was 20, in Van Nuys, California. I tried to stab my neighbour and spent two days in jail. While I was there, I at least understood that being in jail is not the move. It sucks ass."
But the 'Transformers' star's bad behaviour continued, and his fourth stint in jail even had some benefits.
He admitted: "The fourth time I was in Chicago and I wouldn't leave Walgreen's, so I was taken to spend the night in jail. For some reason, I had the best sleep ever."
Shia also spoke about his arrest last year for disrupting Broadway show 'Cabaret', admitting he "didn't behave very well".
He said: "The most recent time was 2014, when I was 28 and in New York City. I went to see the play 'Cabaret'. I didn't behave very well during the performance and ended up spending twenty-five hours or so behind bars..."
However, the 'Nymphomaniac' actor's biggest memory of his final time behind bars was eating a "terrific egg sandwich", and so also included his Egg Ramen Salad Sandwich recipe in 'Prison Ramen'.
19 February 2026 - 3:55 AM
