Shia LaBeouf Says Honey Boy Depiction of His Dad as Abusive Was 'Nonsense': 'I Wronged Him'

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Automatik/Amazon/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock (10469273m) Noah Jupe as Otis (12) and Shia LaBeouf as James Lort 'Honey Boy' Film - 2019 A young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.
Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Automatik/Amazon/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock (10469273m) Noah Jupe as Otis (12) and Shia LaBeouf as James Lort 'Honey Boy' Film - 2019 A young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.
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Shia LaBeouf admits to taking some creative liberties with his supposedly autobiographical opus.

The Emmy Award winner, 36, said the depiction of his father Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf as abusive in 2019's Honey Boy was "f—ing nonsense" as he opened up about making amends with the people he's wronged on an episode of pal Jon Bernthal's Real Ones podcast.

"Here's a man who I've done vilified on a grand scale," LaBeouf said after playing a version of his own dad in the movie, in which the character was named James Lort.

RELATED: Shia LaBeouf Says He 'Was Gonna Kill Myself' After Abuse Allegations: 'I Hurt That Woman'

LaBeouf wrote the screenplay for Honey Boy during a previous in-treatment program. The star recently revealed that he's 627 days sober after seeking treatment again in 2020, following allegations of abuse from his ex FKA Twigs, whom he began dating after starring together in the film.

"I wrote this narrative, which was just f—ing nonsense. My dad was so loving to me my whole life. Fractured, sure. Crooked, sure. Wonky, for sure. But never was not loving, never was not there," LaBeouf said. "He was always there ... and I'd done a world press tour about how f—ed he was as a man."

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"Honey Boy is basically a big 'woe is me' story about how f—ed my father is, and I wronged him. I remember getting on the phone with him, and him being like, 'I never read this stuff in the script you sent.' Because I didn't put that s— in there," he explained.

LaBeouf said he was "bull—ing" his dad to get his permission to make the film, "just trying to get him to sign this piece of paper," adding: "I turned the knob up on certain s— that wasn't real."

"My dad never hit me, never," LaBeouf admitted. "He spanked me once, one time. And the story that gets painted in Honey Boy is, this dude is abusing his kid all the time."

Alma Har'El and Shia LaBeouf
Alma Har'El and Shia LaBeouf

Rachel Luna/FilmMagic Alma Har'El and Shia LaBeouf

The Disney Channel alum explained that the only time his dad spanked him was when he was caught smoking as a kid. "But that wasn't my narrative, because it didn't position me as this wounded, fractured child that you could root for, which is what I was using him for," he said.

LaBeouf continued: "So, when I got on the phone with him, I took accountability for all of that and knew very clearly that I couldn't take it back, and my dad was gonna live with this certain narrative about him on a public scale for a very long time, probably the rest of his life."

Directed by Alma Har'el, Honey Boy stars Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, an actor grappling with early fame, childhood woes and generational trauma. The movie also stars Natasha Lyonne, Maika Monroe, Martin Starr, Clifton Collins Jr., Laura San Giacomo and Byron Bowers.

RELATED VIDEO: Shia LaBeouf Talks How 'Honey Boy' Was Created and How He Transformed in to the Role of His Dad for the Film

LaBeouf previously opened up about his parents' reaction to the film during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that they were "happy with my reaction to it."

"Yeah, my mother, my dad, they've seen it," LaBeouf said in 2019. "It was tough for them to watch it. But I think also, they can have distance with it as well. I mean they really, more than they care about this movie s—, they care about their kid, you know?"