Actor Shia LaBeouf is opening up about the support system that helped him turn his life around, crediting fellow Hollywood stars Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin with guiding him through his sobriety journey.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, LaBeouf, 38, reflected on the personal relationships that helped him navigate addiction and find spiritual and emotional recovery. “Big respect, big love,” LaBeouf said of Gibson. “He’s always been very lovely to me. He held my hand when I was really s—ing on myself. Dude really stepped up for me in big ways.”

LaBeouf revealed that Gibson, Penn, and Brolin all played crucial roles in helping him achieve and maintain sobriety. “They got around me and kept me alive,” he shared. “Sean also showed up and motivated me to do this as a play. I was scared as f— when this thing started.”

According to LaBeouf, their support wasn’t just surface-level — it was active and consistent. “There was a bunch of guys that I looked up to that just started popping up,” he said. “I had never, ever felt that kind of love — not like that.”

Mel Gibson and LaBeouf’s Spiritual Connection

LaBeouf and Mel Gibson forged a bond in 2022 while LaBeouf was preparing for his role in Padre Pio, during which Gibson introduced him to the traditional Latin Mass. That experience deeply impacted LaBeouf and ultimately led to his conversion to Catholicism, mirroring Gibson’s own spiritual path following his 2010 sobriety.

A Network of Support: Penn and Brolin

Josh Brolin, who got sober in 2013, also stepped up for LaBeouf, as did Sean Penn, who has supported his son Hopper through addiction recovery. Although LaBeouf and Penn haven’t worked together, LaBeouf has long cited Penn as one of his key artistic inspirations, calling his film roles “far more appealing” in a 2024 interview with Interview magazine.

LaBeouf and Brolin previously worked together on Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps in 2010. Their mutual battles with addiction — and shared dedication to staying clean — forged a bond that LaBeouf says helped save his life.

From Controversy to Redemption

Shia LaBeouf’s journey toward sobriety comes after years of public controversy, including arrests and an ongoing sexual battery lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs, which he has denied. Amid these challenges, his recent transformation and renewed commitment to acting — under the direction of David Mamet for the stage adaptation of Henry Johnson — signals a fresh chapter for the former child star.