How the mighty have fallen. Once the much-proclaimed protégé of the revered Steven Spielberg, Shia LaBeouf is now one of the most disgraced individuals in the entire film industry. Complaints of plagiarism were leveled against the actor last week and it seems that this has only revealed more examples of unauthorized copying.
A week ago, artist Daniel Clowes claimed that his graphic novel "Justin M. Damiano" was the basis for LaBeouf's short film "HowardCantour.com." Clowes is apparently seeking legal action against the former "Transformers" star. However, it was recently revealed that other work by LaBeouf was the result of plagiarism.
"The new accusations say that LaBeouf's 2012 comic Let's F**king Party copies passages written by poet Charles Bukowski and that his Stale N Mate steals from French novelist Benoit Duteurtre," writes IGN.
Buzzfeed published an article that includes some of the lifted passages.
"Seemingly indifferent to the fate that awaited him - Donal Thomas continued to look obstinate in the antechamber of the execution room. A silent exchange pitted the condemned man," reads a passage from LaBeouf's "Stale N Mate."
The corresponding passage in Duteurtre's novel The Little Girl and the Cigarette reads as follows: "Seemingly indifferent to the fate that awaited him, Désiré Johnson continued to look obstinate. In the antechamber of the execution room a silent exchange pitted the condemned man..."
LaBeouf apologized to Clowes and then used his Twitter account to publish another apology. LaBeouf's Tweet was a word-for-word copy of Tiger Wood's famous apology after his infidelity scandal.
"I have let my family down, and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," wrote LaBeouf. "I was wrong, terribly wrong. I owe it to future generations to explain why."
The actor has been known for making controversial comments and it is certainly possible his choice of words for his written apology are just another way to fire back at his critics.
The actor infamously spoke out against director Michael Bay and stated that he had no intention of ever working in Hollywood's studio system again. He has criticized films that he was been a part of and has seemingly destroyed his chances of ever working in Hollywood again. Could his latest scandal and plagiarized apology be the latest destructive act of the reckless actor?
Is LaBeouf's apology actually sincere or is the plagiarism actually an indication that he does not mean what he says?