Shia LaBeouf Talks 'Scary' Jail Time: 'They Put a Hannibal Mask on Me'

Shia LaBeouf is crediting his night in jail to getting him out of his "existential crisis," but as he points out, this particular time behind bars, he went "all the way."

Over the past year, the Fury actor has made headlines with plagiarism accusations, his "I'm Not Famous Anymore" performance art piece and more recently, his outburst at a Cabaretperformance in New York City.

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"I went through like an existential crisis," LaBeouf, 28, told Ellen DeGeneres. "Which turned into some explorations. I had some hiccups, some judgment errors."

The Transformers star then admitted that it was his time in jail that made him rethink his life choices. "Jail was quite scary… I was there for, it felt like forever, I think 24 hours, 25 hours," he recalled. "I really went all the way with it. They put a Hannibal mask on me and a led jacket. It was very scary."

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Why all the fuss? "I spit on a cop. That’s a no, no," LaBeouf told Ellen. "I’m sorry if you’re watching dude I’m sorry. That was crazy, man."

The actor's mom Shayna Saide also had a part in getting her son back on track. LaBeouf says his mother, who he refers to as "my girl," would tell him, "Stop f**king around."

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He added when asked if he listened to his mother, "It's been a process. I'm quite stubborn."

In September, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after he disrupted a performance of Cabaret.

His publicist claimed the incident was a result of an alcohol problem and insisted that LaBeouf had since gotten help. It was agreed by the court that if the actor remained in treatment for three months and didn't cause any further trouble for six months, he would be able to withdraw his guilty plea and the case would be dismissed.

Here's an inside look into his bizarre Cabaret arrest: