Former Hollywood A-lister Mel Gibson has become a de facto protege to bad boy Shia LaBeouf , RadarOnline.com has learned, helping him restart and rebuild his career.
The relationship has grown so tight, friends say the two have become like father and son.
Gibson, 69, and LaBeouf, 38, share a history of trashing their own public images , and sources say the Mad Max star wants to spare his young mentee the pain he went through by straightening him out and salvaging his career.
An insider told RadarOnline.com : “Mel has come into Shia’s life in a big way. They’re talking all the time about Catholicism, parenthood, and movies.
“It’s a friendship between two guys who continue to struggle for respect in Hollywood after multiple scandals.”
Gibson’s stardom flamed out after his antisemitic blasts at Malibu cops in 2006, followed by vile outbursts about his estranged gal pal Oksana Girgorieva, who gave birth to their daughter, Lucia, in 2009.
Meanwhile, LaBeouf was hit with charges of sexual battery and physical and verbal abuse in a lawsuit brought by ex-lover FKA Twigs in 2020.
A team-up between the two could be mutually and financially beneficial for both parties.
The source continued: “Mel has become a real father figure and spiritual adviser in Shia’s life, and everybody is expecting them to turn this relationship into some interesting or offbeat film project at some point.”
Gibson’s positive influence can already be seen. Recently, LaBeouf confessed that he’d acted like a lowlife toward Twigs, whom he dated for a year after they met on the set of 2019’s Honey Boy .
LaBeouf, who is still disputing his ex’s lawsuit , admitted: “I hurt that woman. I was a pleasure-seeking, selfish, self-centered, dishonest, inconsiderate, fearful human being.”
The Transformers star has been in an on-and-off relationship with Mia Goth , 31, since 2012. They wed in 2016, split in 2018, and reunited in 2020, before welcoming daughter Isabel in 2022.
LaBeouf continues to tell friends he is a changed man and that his purpose “is to be instructive with my life, so that I can be an advertisement – like a billboard – for a principled way of living.”
Gibson’s past continues to haunt him as well.
Back in 2010, RadarOnline.com obtained and published several stomach-turning audio tapes that captured the actor making horrific statements to and about Oksana Grigorieva .
In them, he suggested the Russian singer-songwriter’s “provocative” clothing was going to get her raped by a “pack of n——.”
He also admitted that he had hit her, knocking out her teeth, while she was holding their child. “You f–king deserved it,” he was heard shouting.
Gibson’s apparent dislike of all minorities came out at another point during the rant, during which he used the term “wetback” to describe a nanny who worked for the former couple.
He later demanded that Oksana perform oral sex on him while also threatening more physical harm to her.
Gibson went on to call Grigorieva a “b—h, c–t, whore, and gold digger” and blame his apparent financial woes on her.
In a surprising turn of events, Hollywood’s original bad boy, Mel Gibson, has reportedly taken troubled actor Shia LaBeouf under his wing in an effort to help him rehabilitate his tarnished reputation.
Gibson, known for his own controversial past and public outbursts, is said to have reached out to LaBeouf after hearing about the young actor’s recent run-ins with the law and erratic behavior.
Sources close to Gibson say that he sees a bit of his younger self in LaBeouf and wants to help guide him through the pitfalls of fame and the pressures of being a Hollywood star.
The duo has been spotted spending time together in Los Angeles, with Gibson allegedly offering LaBeouf advice on how to navigate the industry and stay out of trouble.
While some may question Gibson’s motives in taking LaBeouf under his wing, others see it as a positive step towards helping a troubled star find his way back to success.
Only time will tell if this unlikely mentorship will lead to a successful reputation rehab for Shia LaBeouf, but one thing is for certain – with Mel Gibson in his corner, anything is possible.
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