Late last year, Shia LaBeouf faced some serious abuse allegations from former partner and Honey Boy co-star FKA twigs. Her statement was supported by Honey Boy filmmaker Alma Har'el and Sia, and now she has opened up further about her decision to speak out.
FKA twigs made an appearance on Grounded with Louis Theroux [via Billboard] earlier today where she revealed that she decided to speak out because she felt the topic was underrepresented. "It is something in society that's a really big problem and it's really common, but for some reason we don't talk about it," she told the veteran UK journalist and documentary filmmaker.
After meeting LaBeouf on the set of Honey Boy, she said there was an "intense honeymoon period" that set a "benchmark" for the relationship.
"If you fulfill all of the requirements and meet the rules, and all these things of the abuser, it can… be great," she said. But quickly she claimed LaBeouf (who she called "the worst person ever") started to control her through "grooming" and "the pushing of your emotional and spiritual boundaries."
"Being nice to a waiter, or being polite to somebody, that could be seen as me flirting or wanting to engage in some sort of relationship with somebody else, when I'm literally just ordering pasta… I was told that I knew what he was like and if I loved him, I wouldn't look men in the eye. That was my reality for a good four months," she said.
Further, she alleged that LaBeouf would keep count of how many times she would kiss him in a day. "It was like touches or looks or kisses… His previous partner apparently met this number very well, so I was inadequate compared to a previous partner of his," she said.
She added that LaBeouf would allegedly wake her up in the middle of the night and accuse her of thinking of ways to leave him.
"[He] accused me of not wanting to be with him. [He] accused me of wanting to be with somebody else. It would be always… between like four and seven in the morning," she said.
The artist continued: "All I can do is just think about myself when I'm 50 years old [and] I've got kids, I think about what I want to have stood for. This is something that was completely unexpected. I never thought something like this would happen to me… When I'm older, if I have a daughter, I want to be able to say, 'This thing happened to me. And I dealt with it.' It's a big thing to heal publicly and have to do it in front of everyone, but I can do it. I'm a big girl and I can do it."
Following news of the initial lawsuit, LaBeouf stated, "I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I'm ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say."
LaBeouf added, "I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism, but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way."
Meanwhile, Barnett wrote, "What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I've ever been through in the whole of my life. I don't think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that's the thing. It can happen to anybody."
Listen to FKA twigs appear on Grounded with Louis Theroux below.
FKA twigs made an appearance on Grounded with Louis Theroux [via Billboard] earlier today where she revealed that she decided to speak out because she felt the topic was underrepresented. "It is something in society that's a really big problem and it's really common, but for some reason we don't talk about it," she told the veteran UK journalist and documentary filmmaker.
After meeting LaBeouf on the set of Honey Boy, she said there was an "intense honeymoon period" that set a "benchmark" for the relationship.
"If you fulfill all of the requirements and meet the rules, and all these things of the abuser, it can… be great," she said. But quickly she claimed LaBeouf (who she called "the worst person ever") started to control her through "grooming" and "the pushing of your emotional and spiritual boundaries."
"Being nice to a waiter, or being polite to somebody, that could be seen as me flirting or wanting to engage in some sort of relationship with somebody else, when I'm literally just ordering pasta… I was told that I knew what he was like and if I loved him, I wouldn't look men in the eye. That was my reality for a good four months," she said.
Further, she alleged that LaBeouf would keep count of how many times she would kiss him in a day. "It was like touches or looks or kisses… His previous partner apparently met this number very well, so I was inadequate compared to a previous partner of his," she said.
She added that LaBeouf would allegedly wake her up in the middle of the night and accuse her of thinking of ways to leave him.
"[He] accused me of not wanting to be with him. [He] accused me of wanting to be with somebody else. It would be always… between like four and seven in the morning," she said.
The artist continued: "All I can do is just think about myself when I'm 50 years old [and] I've got kids, I think about what I want to have stood for. This is something that was completely unexpected. I never thought something like this would happen to me… When I'm older, if I have a daughter, I want to be able to say, 'This thing happened to me. And I dealt with it.' It's a big thing to heal publicly and have to do it in front of everyone, but I can do it. I'm a big girl and I can do it."
Following news of the initial lawsuit, LaBeouf stated, "I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I'm ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say."
LaBeouf added, "I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism, but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way."
Meanwhile, Barnett wrote, "What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I've ever been through in the whole of my life. I don't think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that's the thing. It can happen to anybody."
Listen to FKA twigs appear on Grounded with Louis Theroux below.
