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22 December 2023
PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD CABLE KNOW HIM AS THE STAR OF DISNEY'S EVEN STEVENS. WE AT TASTES LIKE CHICKEN KNOW HIM SIMPLY AS "THE LITTLE BUDDHA OF COMEDY". JOIN US NOW AS OUR OWN LITTLE BUDDHA, BETHANY SHADY, RUBS BELLIES AND AARON CARTERS WITH THE ONE AND ONLY SHIA LABEOUF.
Shia: What’s up, Beth? How you livin’?
bethany: Good. Wow, your voice is really low.
S: I know. It dropped when I was in school this morning.
b: So, I’m with a paper called tastes like chicken--
S: Is it dope as hell?
b: Yeah. It’s awesome.
S: Cool.
b: It’s weird hearing you talk like that, because I only see you on TV and you're so little and "Disney-ish".
S: Oh, right. I know. Sorry. I’ll do my "Disney" voice.
b: No, no. I like this better.
S: Alright.
b: Alright. By law I have to let you know that you’re being recorded, so they don’t try and come and get me or something.
S: Cool.
b: How did you get started? I hear you went to places around your neighborhood, like coffee clubs.
S: Yeah. I was doing stand-up comedy.
b: What kind of material did you use?
S: Oh, I used to talk about how I got my first boner, or--
b: Oh my gosh!
Nicole (Shia's agent, who is listening in on the interview): SHIA!
S: I’m sorry. I’m not gonna lie to you because I’m on Disney. For crying out loud! But yeah, that was what my comedy was about.
b: Right on. Where did you go and what was the reaction of the crowd?
S: I did stuff at the Ice House and the crowd was really having fun. The crowd was wild because they didn’t expect me to come out and say "boner", ya know? They were freakin' out. They were like, "What in God’s name?"
N: SHIA!
b: How old were you?
S: Like eight or nine. Something like that. It was pretty cool. (laughs) I’m sorry.
b: You’re kind of getting a little yelled at there.
S: Yeah, I know. It’s fun. I’m not gonna really get in trouble.
N: You wanna make a bet?
S: (laughing) Alright.
b: I read somewhere that your dad was in the circus and that he was a chicken trainer.
S: Yeah. (laughs)
b: We at tastes like chicken got very excited about that. Is this true?
S: This is SO true. My dad had three chickens. He used to live in an RV and he devoted his whole life to a chicken named Henrietta. I swear. He was in the circus. He used to run around and light himself or rings on fire and the chicken would run through it. Or he’d put the chicken on his head and do a flip and the chicken would run from his head to his ass. It was pretty funny.
b: Does the love of chickens run through your blood as well?
S: I love chicken.
b: Do you put ketchup on your chicken?
S: Yes, I do.
b: You do?
S: Yes. That’s the best.
b: Oh baby, that sounds so good. Okay, who would win in a pie eating contest: Tony Hawk or Andy Irons?
S: Uh, Aaron Carter.
b: Aaron Carter?
S: Yeah, he’d kick both their anuses. They’d be so screwed.
b: Aaron Carter the singer?
S: Yeah, he loves fruit pies anyway, because he’s a big fruit pie.
N: SHIA!
S: I’m sorry. (laughing)
b: You’re bad!
S: I know, I’m getting in trouble again. Can you send me a copy of this when you publish it?
b: I’m gonna send you one.
S: Alright.
b: We’re not done yet, though, so calm down.
S: Alright. I like it so far.
b: Are you on your lunch?
S: No. Actually, this is my way of getting out of school. So you can ask as many questions as you like.
b: So, you’re into making your own short films?
S: Yeah.
b: What are they about?
S: Me and AJ, who plays Twitty on Even Stevens, used to make a lot of films together. We made one called The Albino Pimp Daddy about this dude who’s got an afro. But it’s hard for him to be a true pimp because he only has a white afro. My friend Jack and I also made a film called Polio Lobster about this kid whose parents are allergic to cats and dogs, so they buy him a lobster. But the lobster gets polio. It was bad. We bought a dead lobster and tied a string around its neck and dragged him down the street.
b: Are you serious?
S: Yeah, it was pretty weird.
b: Animal cruelty.
S: I know. I’m sorry. (laughing)
b: So are you still making films? I hear you want to direct.
S: Yeah, well I’m trying to do this thing now and get paid so I can buy a car and a house. But when I get settled, I’m gonna start working on my directing thing. Right now it’s sorta on pause because I’m trying to finish this Disney thing up and move on to other stuff.
b: How busy are you with the show?
S: I’m so busy. I’m here five days a week. I work nine hours a day and then I have to go home and do four hours of homework. I also audition for other stuff and read other kinds of scripts. It’s pretty trying.
b: What have you been auditioning for?
S: The last thing I did is for this movie that’s gonna come out. It’s drama though. I don’t know if you guys like drama, but you can make fun of me trying to be dramatic. There’s another one I’m doing, just because my dad’s a hippie. It’s called Gene in ‘68.
b: Your dad’s a total hippie?
S: My dad’s a complete hippie. Who else trains chickens?
b: Where’s your family from?
S: All over the place. My dad’s Cajun and my mom’s Jewish. So you can understand how weird our freakin’ Thanksgivings were: Matzo ball gumbo and all kinds of weird stuff.
b: I know you surf a lot. Are you into skating as well?
S: I used to be into skating. I used to be WAY into dirt biking, but I hurt my knee so I had to stop. Plus the show wouldn’t let me dirt bike, but I did anyway. But surfing is cool because the producers and everybody on set surfs, so surfing has become more of an interest rather than dirt biking and skating. Plus, when you sweat or fart when you’re surfing, it’s no big deal.
b: So with all the surfing you do, have you ever had a limb bitten off by a shark?
S: You’d be surprised. (laughing) No, I haven’t. I’ve seen a couple of sharks. I had my foot brushed by a big turtle once. I also saw a chicken in the water. It was very strange. He was just hangin’ out.
b: Really?
S: No, that’s complete bullcrap.
b: Do you ever help write any of the episodes of Even Stevens?
S: I’ve come up with a couple ideas. But when you come up with ideas you never take credit for it because it’s not your job. So there’s no proof that I came up with all these ideas, so I could say I wrote the whole show. I came up with everything. I could say I came up with Temptation Island and you couldn’t prove it. So, yeah, I made Temptation Island.
b: We’ll print that so that everyone knows you came up with it.
S: Yeah. I came up with the idea.
b: If you were to be able to write and direct an episode, what would the storyline be?
S: Probably just Louis in a hot tub for 30 minutes.
b: With a bunch of chicks around him?
S: With a bunch of chicks and some chicken tenders. There’s 30 minutes of show for you.
b: tastes like chicken loves the show--
S: --Rock!
b: We think it’s hilarious. The episode where we were introduced to “Beans” (played by Steven Anthony Lawrence) was amazing and life-changing for all of us.
S: Yeah, “Beans” is a good guy.
b: We want to know if we’re going to see more of him.
S: For sure. We can’t get enough of him. He shows up on set with shirts with “Whoop Ass” printed on them. Steven is the coolest kid in the world. You know what he does? He likes to fart on people’s necks.
b: He likes to fart on people’s necks?
S: I swear on my life. He farted on my neck when we were shooting.
b: (laughing) Oh my God.
S: It was a life-changing experience for me as well.
b: I’m trying to decide how much of this is true, and how much you're just pulling out of your ass.
S: I swear he did fart on my neck. The only thing I pulled out of my ass was the Temptation Island thing,.. and the chicken in the water. But everything else is completely true.
b: Who do you think would make a better pet: a llama or Don Knotts?
S: Aaron Carter.
b: Is he your best friend or something?
S: I love him. Every interview I do from now on, it’s all about Aaron Carter. It’s the publicity. He pays me.
b: Well, which do you think would be a softer pet between a llama and Don Knotts?
S: If I knew who Don Knotts was, then I could say. But Knotts is pretty close to nuts, which is cool. I’ve never heard of Don Knotts, but his last name’s rockin’, so I’d have to go with him.
b: He was from Three’s Company. He played Mr. Furley.
S: I don’t know what Three’s Company is.
b: What year were you born?
S: Freakin’ ‘82.
b: No you weren’t! You were born in ‘86.
BOTH: (laughing)
b: Because you’re so busy, do you feel like you’re kinda missing out on things that a normal teenager would do?
S: Well, the only thing I’m really missing out on is prom and stuff like that. So, I’m not gonna be able to say, “Yeah, I lost my virginity at prom.” Instead it’ll be like, “Yeah, I lost my virginity on the set of Three’s Company back in ‘85.” But it won’t be as cool.
b: So you don’t go to a regular school?
S: No, I just have a teacher and then there are three other kids with me.
b: Are they all from the set?
S: Yeah. Everybody’s from the set. It’s pretty boring school-wise, but we make up for it because all the adults here are really cool to us. We have fun.
b: Is there a lot of improv on the set?
S: Tons. You would not believe how much. We analyze the script with our line coach and if we don’t like a line it’ll just be changed and we’ll come up with a new one. Or we’ll be on set, and we’ll see something funny like a funny prop, or like a chicken or something, and we’ll throw it in. You know what I’m saying? Big props to chicken eaters everywhere.
b: It seems like it’s really natural.
S: Exactly. It’s pure ad lib, that’s what it’s about. I heard that Lizzie Maguire (another Disney Channel show) does it a lot, too. Especially in the Aaron Carter episodes. He ad libs a whole lot I heard.
b: Man, you’re just loving Aaron Carter.
S: I love him!
b: Do you hang out with him all the time?
S: Oh yeah, for sure.
b: What’s life like in LA?
S: It’s cool. I mean, everything I want to do is here. Girls and surf.
b: In your opinion, do dogs have lips?
S: Yes. My dog has lips. I think they have lips because when I always chill with my dog, I always mess with the lip. You know, when you suck on the bottom lip of the dog. I know everybody does it. Don’t deny it, people.
b: I have to admit, I do it.
S: Well, then you know they have lips, and they’re very tender and they have a lemon essence.
BOTH: (laughing)
b: So you have a dog, obviously.
S: Heck yeah. It’s an Australian Shephard. His name’s Rex. Sounds tough, right?
b: Yeah.
S: He’s not tough at all.
b: But does he get the ladies?
S: Heck yeah, my dog’s a pimp. My dog’s a big playa. Regulator. Watch out, he’s big time. He’s got a little gold chain like he’s DMX.
b: Where do Shia and Louis intersect when it comes to things in common?
S: We both have a crush on Tawny.
b: She’s a babe.
S: Yeah, she’s a sexy one, right? Um, let’s see. Well I don’t dress like Louis for sure. I don’t like his style. And we both live in the United States. That’s about it. Oh, and he’s a goof and I’m a goof.
b: So what about college for you?
S: I’m gonna go. But I don’t know where I want to go.
b: You want to go for directing?
S: Well, I’m learning everything I need to know about directing right now. It’d be useless to go to film school. They’d just tell me to go be a PA on set. So maybe I’ll major in psychology.
b: What makes you want to get into that?
S: Because I think it helps your acting. And I just want to go to college and drink beer and stuff. So if psychology fits into that, then I’m up for it.
b: What’s with all the fondue references in the show?
S: Fondue is a big deal on set. You guys like chicken, our writers like fondue. That’s just how it is. Nobody can explain it.
b: What’s your favorite ride at Disneyland?
S: Space Mountain.
b: Space Mountain? Right on. What about Indiana Jones though?
S: Oh, that’s poop. It just doesn’t seem like a ride. It seems like I’m in a 3-D movie or something.
b: How often do you get to Disneyland?
S: Once every decade. I don’t like Disneyland. I like Six Flags. But, oh wait, I work for Disney. Nevermind. Every time I get a break, I’m over there. They’ve got the best corn dogs in the world.
b: Would you ever want to host SNL?
S: Heck yeah. That’s my dream. Saturday Night Live is awesome. Ever since my friend Jack and I started doing stand-up, that’s all we’ve ever wanted to do.
b: Okay, well, I think that’s all the questions I have.
S: Can I ask you some questions about tastes like chicken?
b: Sure.
S: Is it like Maxim or something? Or like Mad?
b: It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s not really like Mad, but it’s a humor paper.
S: It’s for college kids though, right?
b: Mostly, yeah.
S: Alright cool. I’m glad I didn’t just swear all over Disney Magazine or something like that.
b: Oh no. It’s definitely kind of raw.
S: Cool. That’s what I was thinking when you called. I was like "Alright. I’m just going to be real."
b: We definitely want people to be real. Because why would I want to call you and ask you--
S: HOOK IT UP!
b: --stupid shit.
S: Well, thank you for this interview.
b: No problem. Thank you.
WANT DEJA VU? CLICK HERE.
Shia: What’s up, Beth? How you livin’?
bethany: Good. Wow, your voice is really low.
S: I know. It dropped when I was in school this morning.
b: So, I’m with a paper called tastes like chicken--
S: Is it dope as hell?
b: Yeah. It’s awesome.
S: Cool.
b: It’s weird hearing you talk like that, because I only see you on TV and you're so little and "Disney-ish".
S: Oh, right. I know. Sorry. I’ll do my "Disney" voice.
b: No, no. I like this better.
S: Alright.
b: Alright. By law I have to let you know that you’re being recorded, so they don’t try and come and get me or something.
S: Cool.
b: How did you get started? I hear you went to places around your neighborhood, like coffee clubs.
S: Yeah. I was doing stand-up comedy.
b: What kind of material did you use?
S: Oh, I used to talk about how I got my first boner, or--
b: Oh my gosh!
Nicole (Shia's agent, who is listening in on the interview): SHIA!
S: I’m sorry. I’m not gonna lie to you because I’m on Disney. For crying out loud! But yeah, that was what my comedy was about.
b: Right on. Where did you go and what was the reaction of the crowd?
S: I did stuff at the Ice House and the crowd was really having fun. The crowd was wild because they didn’t expect me to come out and say "boner", ya know? They were freakin' out. They were like, "What in God’s name?"
N: SHIA!
b: How old were you?
S: Like eight or nine. Something like that. It was pretty cool. (laughs) I’m sorry.
b: You’re kind of getting a little yelled at there.
S: Yeah, I know. It’s fun. I’m not gonna really get in trouble.
N: You wanna make a bet?
S: (laughing) Alright.
b: I read somewhere that your dad was in the circus and that he was a chicken trainer.
S: Yeah. (laughs)
b: We at tastes like chicken got very excited about that. Is this true?
S: This is SO true. My dad had three chickens. He used to live in an RV and he devoted his whole life to a chicken named Henrietta. I swear. He was in the circus. He used to run around and light himself or rings on fire and the chicken would run through it. Or he’d put the chicken on his head and do a flip and the chicken would run from his head to his ass. It was pretty funny.
b: Does the love of chickens run through your blood as well?
S: I love chicken.
b: Do you put ketchup on your chicken?
S: Yes, I do.
b: You do?
S: Yes. That’s the best.
b: Oh baby, that sounds so good. Okay, who would win in a pie eating contest: Tony Hawk or Andy Irons?
S: Uh, Aaron Carter.
b: Aaron Carter?
S: Yeah, he’d kick both their anuses. They’d be so screwed.
b: Aaron Carter the singer?
S: Yeah, he loves fruit pies anyway, because he’s a big fruit pie.
N: SHIA!
S: I’m sorry. (laughing)
b: You’re bad!
S: I know, I’m getting in trouble again. Can you send me a copy of this when you publish it?
b: I’m gonna send you one.
S: Alright.
b: We’re not done yet, though, so calm down.
S: Alright. I like it so far.
b: Are you on your lunch?
S: No. Actually, this is my way of getting out of school. So you can ask as many questions as you like.
b: So, you’re into making your own short films?
S: Yeah.
b: What are they about?
S: Me and AJ, who plays Twitty on Even Stevens, used to make a lot of films together. We made one called The Albino Pimp Daddy about this dude who’s got an afro. But it’s hard for him to be a true pimp because he only has a white afro. My friend Jack and I also made a film called Polio Lobster about this kid whose parents are allergic to cats and dogs, so they buy him a lobster. But the lobster gets polio. It was bad. We bought a dead lobster and tied a string around its neck and dragged him down the street.
b: Are you serious?
S: Yeah, it was pretty weird.
b: Animal cruelty.
S: I know. I’m sorry. (laughing)
b: So are you still making films? I hear you want to direct.
S: Yeah, well I’m trying to do this thing now and get paid so I can buy a car and a house. But when I get settled, I’m gonna start working on my directing thing. Right now it’s sorta on pause because I’m trying to finish this Disney thing up and move on to other stuff.
b: How busy are you with the show?
S: I’m so busy. I’m here five days a week. I work nine hours a day and then I have to go home and do four hours of homework. I also audition for other stuff and read other kinds of scripts. It’s pretty trying.
b: What have you been auditioning for?
S: The last thing I did is for this movie that’s gonna come out. It’s drama though. I don’t know if you guys like drama, but you can make fun of me trying to be dramatic. There’s another one I’m doing, just because my dad’s a hippie. It’s called Gene in ‘68.
b: Your dad’s a total hippie?
S: My dad’s a complete hippie. Who else trains chickens?
b: Where’s your family from?
S: All over the place. My dad’s Cajun and my mom’s Jewish. So you can understand how weird our freakin’ Thanksgivings were: Matzo ball gumbo and all kinds of weird stuff.
b: I know you surf a lot. Are you into skating as well?
S: I used to be into skating. I used to be WAY into dirt biking, but I hurt my knee so I had to stop. Plus the show wouldn’t let me dirt bike, but I did anyway. But surfing is cool because the producers and everybody on set surfs, so surfing has become more of an interest rather than dirt biking and skating. Plus, when you sweat or fart when you’re surfing, it’s no big deal.
b: So with all the surfing you do, have you ever had a limb bitten off by a shark?
S: You’d be surprised. (laughing) No, I haven’t. I’ve seen a couple of sharks. I had my foot brushed by a big turtle once. I also saw a chicken in the water. It was very strange. He was just hangin’ out.
b: Really?
S: No, that’s complete bullcrap.
b: Do you ever help write any of the episodes of Even Stevens?
S: I’ve come up with a couple ideas. But when you come up with ideas you never take credit for it because it’s not your job. So there’s no proof that I came up with all these ideas, so I could say I wrote the whole show. I came up with everything. I could say I came up with Temptation Island and you couldn’t prove it. So, yeah, I made Temptation Island.
b: We’ll print that so that everyone knows you came up with it.
S: Yeah. I came up with the idea.
b: If you were to be able to write and direct an episode, what would the storyline be?
S: Probably just Louis in a hot tub for 30 minutes.
b: With a bunch of chicks around him?
S: With a bunch of chicks and some chicken tenders. There’s 30 minutes of show for you.
b: tastes like chicken loves the show--
S: --Rock!
b: We think it’s hilarious. The episode where we were introduced to “Beans” (played by Steven Anthony Lawrence) was amazing and life-changing for all of us.
S: Yeah, “Beans” is a good guy.
b: We want to know if we’re going to see more of him.
S: For sure. We can’t get enough of him. He shows up on set with shirts with “Whoop Ass” printed on them. Steven is the coolest kid in the world. You know what he does? He likes to fart on people’s necks.
b: He likes to fart on people’s necks?
S: I swear on my life. He farted on my neck when we were shooting.
b: (laughing) Oh my God.
S: It was a life-changing experience for me as well.
b: I’m trying to decide how much of this is true, and how much you're just pulling out of your ass.
S: I swear he did fart on my neck. The only thing I pulled out of my ass was the Temptation Island thing,.. and the chicken in the water. But everything else is completely true.
b: Who do you think would make a better pet: a llama or Don Knotts?
S: Aaron Carter.
b: Is he your best friend or something?
S: I love him. Every interview I do from now on, it’s all about Aaron Carter. It’s the publicity. He pays me.
b: Well, which do you think would be a softer pet between a llama and Don Knotts?
S: If I knew who Don Knotts was, then I could say. But Knotts is pretty close to nuts, which is cool. I’ve never heard of Don Knotts, but his last name’s rockin’, so I’d have to go with him.
b: He was from Three’s Company. He played Mr. Furley.
S: I don’t know what Three’s Company is.
b: What year were you born?
S: Freakin’ ‘82.
b: No you weren’t! You were born in ‘86.
BOTH: (laughing)
b: Because you’re so busy, do you feel like you’re kinda missing out on things that a normal teenager would do?
S: Well, the only thing I’m really missing out on is prom and stuff like that. So, I’m not gonna be able to say, “Yeah, I lost my virginity at prom.” Instead it’ll be like, “Yeah, I lost my virginity on the set of Three’s Company back in ‘85.” But it won’t be as cool.
b: So you don’t go to a regular school?
S: No, I just have a teacher and then there are three other kids with me.
b: Are they all from the set?
S: Yeah. Everybody’s from the set. It’s pretty boring school-wise, but we make up for it because all the adults here are really cool to us. We have fun.
b: Is there a lot of improv on the set?
S: Tons. You would not believe how much. We analyze the script with our line coach and if we don’t like a line it’ll just be changed and we’ll come up with a new one. Or we’ll be on set, and we’ll see something funny like a funny prop, or like a chicken or something, and we’ll throw it in. You know what I’m saying? Big props to chicken eaters everywhere.
b: It seems like it’s really natural.
S: Exactly. It’s pure ad lib, that’s what it’s about. I heard that Lizzie Maguire (another Disney Channel show) does it a lot, too. Especially in the Aaron Carter episodes. He ad libs a whole lot I heard.
b: Man, you’re just loving Aaron Carter.
S: I love him!
b: Do you hang out with him all the time?
S: Oh yeah, for sure.
b: What’s life like in LA?
S: It’s cool. I mean, everything I want to do is here. Girls and surf.
b: In your opinion, do dogs have lips?
S: Yes. My dog has lips. I think they have lips because when I always chill with my dog, I always mess with the lip. You know, when you suck on the bottom lip of the dog. I know everybody does it. Don’t deny it, people.
b: I have to admit, I do it.
S: Well, then you know they have lips, and they’re very tender and they have a lemon essence.
BOTH: (laughing)
b: So you have a dog, obviously.
S: Heck yeah. It’s an Australian Shephard. His name’s Rex. Sounds tough, right?
b: Yeah.
S: He’s not tough at all.
b: But does he get the ladies?
S: Heck yeah, my dog’s a pimp. My dog’s a big playa. Regulator. Watch out, he’s big time. He’s got a little gold chain like he’s DMX.
b: Where do Shia and Louis intersect when it comes to things in common?
S: We both have a crush on Tawny.
b: She’s a babe.
S: Yeah, she’s a sexy one, right? Um, let’s see. Well I don’t dress like Louis for sure. I don’t like his style. And we both live in the United States. That’s about it. Oh, and he’s a goof and I’m a goof.
b: So what about college for you?
S: I’m gonna go. But I don’t know where I want to go.
b: You want to go for directing?
S: Well, I’m learning everything I need to know about directing right now. It’d be useless to go to film school. They’d just tell me to go be a PA on set. So maybe I’ll major in psychology.
b: What makes you want to get into that?
S: Because I think it helps your acting. And I just want to go to college and drink beer and stuff. So if psychology fits into that, then I’m up for it.
b: What’s with all the fondue references in the show?
S: Fondue is a big deal on set. You guys like chicken, our writers like fondue. That’s just how it is. Nobody can explain it.
b: What’s your favorite ride at Disneyland?
S: Space Mountain.
b: Space Mountain? Right on. What about Indiana Jones though?
S: Oh, that’s poop. It just doesn’t seem like a ride. It seems like I’m in a 3-D movie or something.
b: How often do you get to Disneyland?
S: Once every decade. I don’t like Disneyland. I like Six Flags. But, oh wait, I work for Disney. Nevermind. Every time I get a break, I’m over there. They’ve got the best corn dogs in the world.
b: Would you ever want to host SNL?
S: Heck yeah. That’s my dream. Saturday Night Live is awesome. Ever since my friend Jack and I started doing stand-up, that’s all we’ve ever wanted to do.
b: Okay, well, I think that’s all the questions I have.
S: Can I ask you some questions about tastes like chicken?
b: Sure.
S: Is it like Maxim or something? Or like Mad?
b: It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s not really like Mad, but it’s a humor paper.
S: It’s for college kids though, right?
b: Mostly, yeah.
S: Alright cool. I’m glad I didn’t just swear all over Disney Magazine or something like that.
b: Oh no. It’s definitely kind of raw.
S: Cool. That’s what I was thinking when you called. I was like "Alright. I’m just going to be real."
b: We definitely want people to be real. Because why would I want to call you and ask you--
S: HOOK IT UP!
b: --stupid shit.
S: Well, thank you for this interview.
b: No problem. Thank you.
WANT DEJA VU? CLICK HERE.
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4_5_shia.swf
issue
vol 4 - issue 05 (jan 2002)
section
interviews