David Ayer’s latest movie, The Tax Collector, is re-teaming him with actor Shia LaBeouf. It’s no secret that LaBeouf has made his fair share of headlines over the years for his erratic behavior but he has made an honest effort to focus on the craft of acting in recent years. Ayer, for example, recently praised LaBeouf’s dedication. Specifically, the actor got his entire chest tattooed for their latest collaboration.
Shia LaBeouf previously worked with David Ayer on the war movie Fury. During a recent interview, the Suicide Squad filmmaker was prompted to discuss what it’s like working with LaBeouf. Ayer made the fascinating reveal that, rather than get a temporary tattoo or do it with makeup, LaBeouf got a full-on, very real chest tattoo. Here’s what Ayer had to say about it.
“He’s one of the best actors I’ve worked with, and he’s the most committed to body and soul. He had a tooth pulled on Fury, and then on Tax Collector, he got his whole chest tattooed. So he kind of goes all in, and I’ve never known anyone that committed.”
While one can certainly call into question how helpful this level of dedication is, it is undoubtedly something few actors would do for a role. As David Ayer mentions, Shia LaBeouf also had a tooth pulled on Fury. But that wasn’t all. He reportedly cut his face and kept his hygiene to a bare minimum. Again, fairly extreme behavior. Whether or not LaBeouf will regret getting his entire chest covered in a tattoo for a role that is over and done with remains to be seen.
But, for whatever it may be worth, Shia LaBeouf has turned into quite an impressive actor in recent years. Last year alone he starred in and wrote Honey Boy, which chronicled LaBeouf’s complicated relationship with his father, as well as The Peanut Butter Falcon, which garnered a great deal of acclaim. Some of his other recent credits include American Honey and Borg vs. McEnroe.
As we recently saw in The Tax Collector trailer, this action crime thriller centers on David (Bobby Soto) and Creeper (Shia LaBeouf). The two play “tax collectors” for a crime lord named Wizard, gathering up his cut of the profits from local gangs’ illegal dealings. But when Wizard’s old returns from Mexico to Los Angelse, the business is upended. David finds himself desperate to protect his family, which means more to him than anything else.
For David Ayer, this represents a departure from blockbusters like Suicide Squad and Bright. Ayer says it is a small, independent movie, “about the LA streets about what’s going on today” closer to his earlier efforts like Harsh Times or Street Kings. Ayer has also been teasing a possible “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad, which gained a bit of traction after Zack Sndyer’s Justice League was announced for HBO Max. The Tax Collectors is set to arrive in theaters and On Demand on August 7. This news comes to us via Slash Film.
