Look, Hollywood is full of people who say they’re "method." Usually, that just means they didn't shower for a week or insisted the craft services guy call them by their character's name. Then there is Shia LaBeouf. When David Ayer cast him in the 2020 gritty crime thriller The Tax Collector, Shia didn't just buy a few books on South LA gang culture. He went to a tattoo parlor.
He didn't get a fake one. No "spirit gum" and makeup chairs for three hours every morning.
Shia LaBeouf actually got his entire chest and abdomen tattooed for the role. Permanently. We're talking a massive, sprawling piece of ink that features his character's name, CREEPER, splayed across his stomach in block letters. Above that, there’s a portrait of a woman (meant to be his mother) cradling a clown—a nod to his father’s real-life history as a rodeo clown. It’s wild. Most actors would just ask for a better trailer. Shia asked for a needle and a lifetime commitment to a movie that, frankly, got mixed reviews.
The Method Behind the Madness
Why would anyone do this? Honestly, if you’ve followed Shia's career, it kinda makes sense in a twisted way. This is the guy who famously had a tooth pulled out for Fury and refused to bathe for weeks to "feel" the grime of a WWII tank.
In The Tax Collector, he plays Creeper, the cold-blooded "tax collector" for a Los Angeles crime lord named Wizard. He’s the muscle. The enforcer. While his partner David (played by Bobby Soto) is the family man trying to keep a foot in both worlds, Creeper is the one who has fully embraced the abyss.
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David Ayer, the director, has defended Shia’s intensity. Ayer grew up in these environments. He’s the guy who wrote Training Day, so he knows a thing or two about the "white boy in the hood" archetype. He told Slash Film that Shia is the most committed actor he’s ever worked with. He wasn't kidding. Shia spent months shadowing "real homies" in LA to get the mannerisms, the stare, and that specific, twitchy energy just right.
That Tattoo Controversy
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. When the first trailer for The Tax Collector dropped, the internet went into a tailspin. People saw Shia—a Jewish guy from Echo Park—rocking a specific look and accent, and the "brownfacing" accusations started flying.
Ayer jumped on Twitter (now X) to shut it down. He clarified that Shia wasn't playing a Latino character. He was playing a white guy who grew up in the Chicano culture of South LA. In the movie, his race is never explicitly a plot point, but his immersion is total.
The tattoo artist, Bryan Ramirez, even posted on Instagram to confirm the ink was 100% real because fans simply didn't believe it. Ramirez mentioned they started the piece while filming Holes—wait, no, he actually corrected himself later to say they’d known each other since then, but the chest piece was a specific, ongoing session for this project.
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What Really Happens to Creeper?
If you haven't seen the movie, I'll give you the gist without spoiling every single second, but be warned: it’s bleak. Creeper is the ultimate badass for the first hour. He wears sharp three-piece suits in the blistering California sun. He eats keto. He talks about God and meditation.
Then the villain, Conejo, shows up.
Basically, the movie shifts from a "day in the life" vibe to a full-blown war. Creeper, the guy we’ve been told is an untouchable killing machine, ends up in a bad spot. He’s captured by Conejo’s crew. In one of the most brutal scenes in the film, he’s tortured. The movie builds him up so much that his eventual fate feels like a massive gut punch to the audience.
- The Build-up: We see Creeper dismembering rivals and being the ultimate "bogeyman."
- The Turn: Conejo returns from Mexico to reclaim territory, and everything goes south.
- The End: Without giving too much away, let’s just say the "Creeper" name doesn't save him from the reality of cartel violence.
Some fans were actually annoyed. They felt Shia’s performance was the best part of the movie and that his character was "wasted" by the third act. There’s even a whole corner of Reddit dedicated to theories that he survived or that a prequel should be made. Given Shia's recent career pivot toward more spiritual and independent work—including his conversion to Catholicism—it’s unlikely he’s looking to jump back into the "Creeper" suit anytime soon.
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Why The Tax Collector Still Matters
Despite a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a weirdly strong cult following. Why? Because it feels "real" in a way most studio movies don't. It’s shot on the actual streets of Los Angeles, not a backlot in Atlanta.
The chemistry between Shia and Bobby Soto is the heart of the thing. Their conversations in the car—discussing everything from cauliflower ear to the nature of sin—feel like real people talking. It’s not "movie dialogue." It’s messy.
The film also serves as a weird time capsule for Shia’s "extreme method" era. Shortly after this, his personal life became a whirlwind of legal battles and abuse allegations from his former partner, FKA Twigs. In many ways, The Tax Collector was the peak of his "I will destroy my body for the art" phase.
What You Can Take Away From It
If you're a fan of gritty crime cinema, The Tax Collector is worth a watch just for the spectacle of Shia's commitment. But there are some actual lessons here for creators and actors:
- Commitment has a cost: Shia’s tattoo is a permanent reminder of a movie that most people forgot six months later. Was it worth it? Only he knows.
- Authenticity is a fine line: Ayer’s attempt to show "the real LA" was praised by some for its casting of local actors but criticized by others for its portrayal of gang tropes.
- Performance vs. Plot: A great performance (Shia) can’t always save a thin script, but it can make it memorable enough to trend on Google six years later.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of David Ayer or Shia’s more intense roles, you might want to check out Fury or End of Watch next. They hit similar themes of brotherhood and violence but with a bit more narrative weight. For now, the story of Shia LaBeouf The Tax Collector remains one of the strangest examples of an actor literally marking himself for life in the name of a role.
The movie is currently available on most VOD platforms like Amazon and Apple TV. If you do watch it, keep an eye out for the scene where Creeper talks about his diet—it’s probably the most "Shia" moment in the entire film. Just remember, the ink on his chest in those scenes isn't coming off when the director yells "cut."