An upcoming biopic on the early years of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, or Padre Pio, has secured Shia LaBeouf in the starring role. To get into character, LaBeouf spent a few weeks with a Capuchin community in Northern California.
Loading
Shia recently appeared in a video taken by Father Hai Ho, a Capuchin from the Western American Province in Northern California and shared on Instagram. The Transformers star seemed moved by his experiences within the religious community. LaBeouf said:
Shia is no stranger to religious discovery, especially while getting into a role. During the filming of Fury, in 2014, Shia converted from Judaism to Christianity. According to Churchpop, Shia told Interview Magazine:
In the social media post, LaBeouf could be seen posing for a picture with the friars. When asked about the movie, he explained:
Variety reports that the film is in pre-production, and is scheduled to start filming in October. Director Abel Ferrara plans to shoot the movie on location in Puglia, Italy. Ferrara has previously made a short film about Padre Pio.
