Could it possibly be a coincidence that one day after Shia LaBeouf “explained” to Rebecca Keegan at the Los Angeles Times why Megan Fox decided to bow out of returning as Mikaela Banes for Transformers: Dark of the Moon that one day later we get the first trailer for the film that features her replacement, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, actually doing something other than walking around looking pretty? She actually has a voice, and talks… with WORDS! Granted, it’s only three words, and we don’t actually see her say them, but we can assume that she has at least one conversation… right?
First for LaBeouf’s comments, which are comical, honest and strangely accepting (or is it judgmental) of what is clearly Bay’s overwhelming machismo:
“Megan developed this Spice Girl strength, this woman-empowerment [stuff] that made her feel awkward about her involvement with Michael, who some people think is a very lascivious filmmaker, the way he films women,” LaBeouf said. “Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality. It’s summer. It’s Michael’s style. And I think [Fox] never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it. When Mike would ask her to do specific things, there was no time for fluffy talk. We’re on the run. And the one thing Mike lacks is tact. There’s no time for [LaBeouf assumes a gentle voice] ‘I would like you to just arch your back 70 degrees.’”
That last bit kills me (not to mention the Spice Girl reference, how dare a woman gain a sense of self respect). The idea there is absolutely “no time” to suggest your sex-symbol actress arch her back in a provocative way so you can objectify her is silly. I just have to wonder how does Bay do it? Does he just yell out, “Megan! Would you just bend backwards and stick your tits out already!”
Or what about this shot? “Megan, just put on the shirt, lean in and stick your ass out! Can someone PLEASE spray her with water so she looks sweaty! This isn’t a f**king independent film god dammit!”
For this shot in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen I hope he had at least one person calmly tell her just where exactly the camera would be positioned while she straddled this bike.
Then there are LaBeouf’s comments regarding Huntington-Whiteley, whom Bay had worked with on Victoria Secret ads before casting her as Carly in the new film. “Rosie comes with this Victoria’s Secret background,” LaBeouf explained. “She’s comfortable with it, so she can get down with Mike’s way of working and it makes the whole set vibe very different.”
Okay, I understand exactly where all of this is coming from, and most of it simply says Bay is a pig and treats women as objects. Nothing new, people have been judging him based on this fact for a long, long time. But man-oh-man the line where Shia says “it makes the whole set vibe very different” makes me really wish I had heard some of the conversations between Bay and Fox. It just sounds like it must have gotten really heated.
So with all of that said, here is the new TV spot for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which hits theaters on June 29. For more on the film, including a new featurette featuring the “winged” stunt team click here.
Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.
