Even Stevens Star Explains Why She No Longer Talks To Shia LaBeouf

Christy Carlson Romano explains why she no longer talks to Even Stevens co-star Shia LaBeouf. Romano and LaBeouf starred as brother and sister in the Disney Channel series, which aired from 2000 to 2003. It followed the life of the Stevens family, mainly focusing on the clashing personalities of young siblings Ren (Romano) and Louis (LaBeouf). Even Stevens became a success, collecting several awards and nominations, and serving as the breakout performance of both of its leads.

LaBeouf would go on to star in hit movies like Disturbia and Surf’s Up. He also led the first installment in the Transformers franchise in 2007 and reprised his role as the main character for two sequels. Years later, LeBeouf garnered critical acclaim for his work in dramas like Honey Boy and The Peanut Butter Falcon. More recently, however, the actor has been accused of sexual misconduct and abuse by his former partner, musician and Honey Boy co-star, FKA Twigs, who filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf. Now Romano, who has become known as the voice of Disney’s Kim Possible, has admitted she didn’t always take LaBeouf’s success in her stride when the two worked together in the early 2000s.

According to E! Online, in a video titled “Why I Don’t Talk To Shia LaBeouf”, which Romano posted to her YouTube channel, the actress spoke openly about her relationship with her Even Stevens co-star. Confessing that they weren’t particularly close on set and noting that the pair felt some animosity towards each other, Romano singled out a particular incident in which she felt slighted and deeply hurt by LaBeouf. She recalls that, after winning a Daytime Emmy for his performance on the Disney series, LaBeouf didn’t thank her. Read Romano’s comments below.

“We had a little bit of animosity. I always wanted him to really appreciate what I gave to him. He was on the podium. I was sitting there with the rest of our team, and he thanked, like, everybody at the table. But he didn’t thank me. I was hurt at the time, because I felt like since day one, it was him and me. It was, like, our show. But because it was so life or death or him, it was his show and I was just like around because I was a girl.”

Romano goes on to say that she felt a bit “salty” over LaBeouf’s success, explaining that she couldn’t bring herself to watch any of his movies for a time. Still, she adds that she has “mellowed out” over the years, saying that she’ll always feel a connection to her Even Stevens co-lead due to the fact that they are both former child actors. The sentiments expressed by Romano are not uncommon among other co-stars who have experienced massive success together. The X-Files’ David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, for example, have been open about the fact that they weren’t close during the filming of the original series. It was only with 2016’s revival series that the duo learned to become friends, placing unpleasant memories and professional jealousies in the past.

It seems possible that, at least from Romano’s side, if she were to work with LaBeouf again, their history could be put to rest. Whether or not that happens, however, their differences off-screen never negatively impacted their performances as siblings Louis and Ren. Ultimately, the success of Even Stevens reinforces the fact that actors don’t have to be the best of friends in order to put on great performances.

Source: E! Online

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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