Director Michael Bay Shia LaBeouf Has Transformed A Lot Over the Years ... Here's What We Talked About Recently

Published September 2, 2026 1:00 AM PDT

Michael Bay says he had a rare conversation with Shia LaBeouf just a few months ago that focused on family and the incredible franchise they built together.

The legendary action movie director sat down with TMZ's Charlie Neff for a wide-ranging interview that touched on the "Transformers" star, who has run into a series of legal issues over the last decade-plus.

Just this year alone, Shia has made headlines for being arrested down in New Orleans around Mardi Gras and for saying just that he drinks "daily" despite previously going through rehab.

Michael admits the two haven't talked about Shia's legal drama ... but he notes they did communicate about 6 months ago -- and Shia told him he took his daughter, Isabel, on the "Transformers" ride at Universal Studios.

Shia says he got to watch his 4-year-old take in the experience ... in essence, seeing the ride through her young eyes -- and it brought him to tears.

Michael has a message for Shia as well ... he says Shia's a great actor, a great guy, and he treasures the time they spent working together.

Shia played the lead character, Sam Witwicky, in the first three "Transformers" movies -- before moving away from big-budget action flicks to focus on smaller independent film roles. A few years after finishing his work on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Shia was arrested in New York City following his drunken tirade at a Broadway show.

BTW ... "Transformers" fans will want to watch the full interview with Michael -- available now on YouTube -- because he and Charlie also talk about Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, who passed away just last week.