LOS ANGELES—“How can you work with Megan Fox and not fall in love with her?”

“Buddy, that is a tough question,” a smiling Shia LaBeouf reacted to that question from a reporter during our press con with him. Megan had just left the room and the query was obviously inspired by the actress’ hot looks and smart answers.

But after a pause, Shia offered a reply that indicated he has given the matter about his “Transformers” sequel co-star some thought. “I’m a professional so you know, I’m not out of my mind,” began the actor who at 23 is still shedding his teen looks but is gradually taking on a grown-up appearance (the mustache and beard help). “Megan and I are co-workers, first and foremost. But the truth is, as crazy as I could be, how good will a relationship between us turn out? What am I betting on? What would become the important topical matters in my life? Would I have to talk about it? Where would we go? How would we hang out? It’s just not for either one of us. I don’t think it’s the right move. But there is no secret to it. I’m attracted to her. She’s a beautiful girl. She’s a sweetheart.”

Youth and humor

An appealing mixture of youthful braggadocio and self-deprecating humor, Shia can never be accused of being a boring interviewee. Asked if he teases Megan about being ranked often as the world’s sexiest woman by men’s magazines, Shia answered, “She thinks it’s awkward. Anyone who is over-complimented starts getting weird about it. I tease her about everything. She’s a friend of mine. We spend a lot of time with each other because we make these films back to back. It’s like we almost haven’t left each other the entire time we’ve been making these movies. I’ve been able to watch her mature and see her star rise. It has been fun to watch. She’s handling it well.”

On Isabel Lucas, his other female co-star in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” Shia said, “She’s a very talented actress. She’s beautiful. And she was thrown into a boiling pot of hot water. The set was bubbling from the minute we started on the first one. So for Isabel to come from Australia, essentially a newcomer, and virtually her first film is this large, it’s pretty impressive. It’s fun for her—new and exciting. She’s dealing with it the best she can. She’s a quiet girl, very different from Megan. She’s less outspoken, less aggressive and a totally different personality. But she’s just as enjoyable.”

Isabel was with Shia when he flipped his truck and crushed his left hand in an early morning collision accident in LA last July. Although Shia was found to be not at fault for the accident (the driver of the other vehicle ran a red light), his license was temporarily suspended because he refused to undergo chemical tests following the accident. In an interview with Playboy magazine, the actor, admitting that he had “a whiskey and three beers” before the accident, revealed that he has joined AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) to seek help.

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