Actor Shia LaBeouf has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. His ex-girlfriend and musician FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit for sexual battery last month, alleging assault and infliction of emotional distress. He was then removed from the Oscar campaign of Netflix’s ‘For Your Consideration.’ 

LaBeouf’s latest film, ‘Pieces of a Woman,’ has him in the character of Sean, the husband to Vanessa Kirby’s Martha. The film is about the couple’s struggles following the loss of their baby after a home birth.

Director Kornel Mundruczo and screenwriter Kata Weber talked to Variety about how LaBeouf’s online presence in the film will affect viewers keeping in mind the allegations against him in real life.

Also read: I have a deep respect for FKA Twigs’ courage and resilience: Director Alma Har’el

Talking about the lawsuit and LaBeouf’s character’s impact regarding the aggressive scenes, Mundruczo told Variety, “It’s a very interesting and a very difficult question, to be honest. For me, it was very important to find a character who is very far from Martha, very different, who has connections to drug abuse and addiction. That was really somehow the most important focus for me, to find someone troublesome for that role, which really makes the love bigger in between them.”

He added, “Of course, that’s a big question because my heart was really full with sadness and sorrow when I read that. I really feel like every human, to be honest, has the right to come forward and tell their story, and I’m standing with them.”

The movie has a few aggressive scenes such as one were Sean becomes forcibly intimate with his wife, who remains uninterested, and one where he throws an object at Martha, and uses demeaning profanities under the influence of drugs. 

In real life, following the lawsuit, LaBeouf admitted to his abusive nature, citing his history of alcoholism and aggression. 

According to the filmmakers, even though LaBeouf’s character is a necessary part of the experience for Kirby’s character, the film is, particularly, about a woman’s journey.

Mundruczo said, “I would like to keep the focus on the movie. I would like to keep the focus on the beautiful inner journey of a female character, I really hope that it’s [felt] from the movie and the audience understands that’s our meaning and that is really the major statement — is the movie itself.”