Shia LaBeouf became a bonafide Hollywood superstar after his blockbuster gig with the Transformers franchise.

The talented actor went from strength to strength by taking on varied roles to become one of the most bankable young actors in the industry. But LaBeouf’s childhood was anything but smooth.

Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf
The Borg vs McEnroe star grew up in poverty in a family of starving artists in Echo Park, California. The financial struggles they faced forced LaBeouf to work by taking up small gigs from when he was 10 years old.

Interestingly, his experience facing hardship from a young age took the actor on a very different path towards securing his financial independence in his adulthood, thanks to a film that he was part of.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Started Shia LaBeouf’s Relationship With Stock Trading

In 2010, Shia LaBeouf starred with Michael Douglas in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, a sequel to the latter’s iconic film, Wall Street. The film was an eye-opener for the Disturbia star in many ways.

LaBeouf, who admitted that he had absolutely no knowledge about the workings of Wall Street and how stock trading was done, decided to educate himself on the world of investments by taking a crash course of sorts with an investment company.

Shia LaBeouf and Michael Douglas in Wall Street 2
This deep dive into the world of money then led to the Transformers actor completely committing to creating financial security by opening his own account for trading. Speaking to The Daily Mail about his humble beginnings that was in stark contrast to his current life, LaBeouf said,
“I still trade every morning. I come from poverty and it’s like night and day. My mother laughs about it: she went on welfare, we had no money and now I’m trading $300,000 in the morning. It’s outrageous.”
LaBeouf also credited his team of advisers who worked with him constantly to ensure that he was making the right decisions with regard to where he invested his money. The actor also revealed that there was a good side to Wall Street that wasn’t always about the greedy desire to only make money at all costs.

Shia LaBeouf Was In Awe Of His Wall Street 2 Co-Star Michael Douglas

In 2010, Shia LaBeouf got the unique opportunity to star with Oscar winner Michael Douglas in the sequel to Oliver Stone’s cult classic Wall Street.

Apart from working with a prolific filmmaker in Stone on a blockbuster narrative, the Honey Boy star was also privileged to share screen space with one of Hollywood’s biggest icons. Speaking to US Weekly about the surreal experience of working with Micheal Douglas, LaBeouf said,

“He’s got a nice way of easing everybody’s tension. When you walk onto a set like this, where it’s sacred ground, there’s a legacy at stake. But your mascot puts you at ease. He is a wolf, and he is a strong man.”

Shia LaBeouf is a fanboy of Michael Douglas
The Man Down actor also revealed that Douglas, despite having a few ongoing personal challenges at the time, never let his vulnerabilities get in the way of his performance or his behavior towards his co-stars on set.