David Mamet: I’ve Never Worked With a Greater Actor Than Shia LaBeouf

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David Mamet: I’ve Never Worked With a Greater Actor Than Shia LaBeouf

Pulitzer Prize-winning filmmaker David Mamet had some high praise for actor Shia LaBeouf, calling him the greatest actor that he’s ever worked with recently.

In a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Mamet revealed that he just wrapped filming on a project starring LaBeouf, whom he called “magnificent” as both a human and actor.

“I’m saying that as an actor, I’ve never worked with a greater actor in my life,” said Mamet. “I’ve worked with everybody, and as a human being, he’s just a magnificent human being.”

Maher asked Mamet why he thinks LaBeouf has a “reputation as such a dick,” to which Mamet said he had “no idea” why, but noted he has “unlimited respect” for the actor regardless.

As far as what project Mamet and LaBeouf may be working on, many have speculated that it could be a film adaptation of Mamet’s Henry Johnson stage play. LaBeouf also starred in the play, and spoke to The Hollywood Reporter last year, where he revealed that Mamet had hopes to film an adaptation of the play at some point.

Mamet briefly opens up on JFK drama

Mamet also very briefly touched on the upcoming drama Assassination, which he wrote and was originally set to direct. However, Barry Levinson would step in to direct instead of Mamet, a move that seems to have not been in his choice.

“I can’t talk about it because my lawyers said,” Mamet said. “But if I were to talk about it, I’d turn your hair.”

Mamet has not directed a feature film since 2008’s Redbelt, a martial arts film that starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen, Alice Braga, Randy Couture, Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna, Emily Mortimer, David Paymer, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Rodrigo Santoro.