Renowned actor Shia LaBeouf just recently converted to Catholicism after his stay at a monastery with Franciscan Capuchin friars, in preparation for playing the role of Padre Pio in an upcoming movie which focuses on the life of the Catholic saint.

The celebrity announced his decision during an interview with Bishop Robert Barron on Thursday.

During the interview, LaBeouf spoke about his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts and recalled feeling shameful after being part of many public scandals. “The kind of shame that you forget how to breathe,” he stressed.

The actor said that he accepted the role in the movie for selfish reasons, to save his career. “I know now that God was using my ego to draw me to Him. Drawing me away from worldly desires. It was all happening simultaneously,” he emphasised.

He went on to say that during his time at the monastery he learned about the Catholic teaching and understanding of sin and forgiveness.

Also, how meeting other people who had struggled morally helped him forgive himself. “I started hearing experiences of other depraved people who had found their way in this, and it made me feel like I had permission,” he stated.

Shia LaBeouf also emphasised how the traditional form of the Catholic mass had a great impact on his conversion.

LaBeouf plays the titular character in “Padre Pio,” a film helmed by Abel Ferrara exploring the life of the Franciscan Capuchin mystic.

Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione in southern Italy in 1887. He became famous for showing stigmata, or crucifixion wounds like those on the body of Jesus Christ. He died in 1968 at the age of 81, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999 and then canonized in 2002.

The actor stressed throughout the interview that despite his intense immersion, he is still very new to the faith and not an expert on different aspects of the religion.

ALSO READ A Thousand-year-Old Manuscript Returned To Greek Monastery