Alma Har’el, the director of the film Honey Boy, has come out in support of FKA Twigs, who has accused her co-star Shia LaBeouf of abusing her while they were in a relationship.
Honey Boy was a semi-autobiographical story about Shia LaBeouf’s troubled upbringing, and the actor, who was something of a pariah in Hollywood, became close with the director while filming it.
Har’el stood by him at the time, praising him for the way he handled his journey with substance abuse and public infamy, but she has reevaluated this in the wake of FKA Twigs’ allegations.
Last week, Twigs (otherwise known as Tahliah Barnett) accused LaBeouf of subjecting her to “relentless abuse” during their relationship, which started when they met while filming Honey Boy.
In a statement released this week, Har’el announced that she stands by Twigs as well as Karolyn Pho, another of LaBeouf’s former partners. She wrote:
I have a deep respect for FKA Twigs’ courage and resilience. Reading what she endured left me heartbroken and I stand with her in solidarity. I’m sending my love to her, Karolyn Pho, all victims of domestic violence, and everyone who is trying to stop cycles of abuse.
As a filmmaker and an artist, I am drawn to stories that help us develop empathy for the messy parts of the human condition. Like many of Shia’s collaborators and fans who battled substance abuse, suffered childhood trauma, and face mental illness, I am painfully aware of my past investment in his recovery. I want to send a clear message today that none of the above should excuse, minimize, or rationalize domestic violence.
I’m grateful that survivors of childhood trauma have seen some aspects of themselves in Honey Boy and might feel less alone in their pain. I hope that they don’t take these events as a discouraging moment in their own recovery.
She also announced that she will be making donation to domestic violence support organisations in the name of FKA Twigs and Pho.
