6 Reasons to Be on Team Shia

Shia had us in stitches as he described the night of his headline-grabbing arrest in June after taking in a performance of Cabaret on Broadway. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in October 2014, Shia recounted the epic tale while owning up to the fact that he was "good and drunk" that evening and admitted that his behavior didn't make his actions right. He was charming, funny, and sincere, and he gave anyone who was doubting him a reason to love him again.

Shia doesn't shy away from showing love to or gushing about his mom, Shayna Saide. While promoting Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009, Shia said, "She is the most beautiful woman on this planet and I love her. She's fly as hell. I stand by that. My mom's awesome."

More recently, during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Shia shared sweet details about their relationship and how she has helped him get through hard times, saying, "[She tells me to] stop f*cking around."

After professing her love for Shia in interviews, Selena Gomez got the shock of her life when he surprised her backstage at Live! with Kelly in June 2011. His sweet interaction with her only solidified his place in our hearts, and even Selena was impressed with his presence as she breathlessly told her mom, "He's so handsome!" after their meeting.

Shia got lots of attention in September 2014 when he began sharing his daily runs on Twitter. He later participated in a performance art piece called #METAMARATHON at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and talked about how running has been helping him "keep a clear head" in interviews. He told Interview Magazine, "I've been a runner my whole life, running from myself." Deep. We've been lucky enough to spot photos of Shia on many of his outings, and it's quite clear that he knows his way around a pair of bright purple stretch pants.

Shia's more recent projects — films like Lawless, Nymphomaniac, and Fury — have all been darker, grittier, and geared toward a more mature audience than, say, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Now that he's not attached to giant blockbusters, Shia has taken a different direction, one that includes method acting and lots of nudity. Shia opened up about his more focused approach to taking on work in Interview Magazine, saying, "I haven't really been picky about my career until the last five years. For a long time I was just treated like, 'Place Actor A here.' It could have been anyone. Only from Lawless on have I been able to make conscious choices on projects that affect me on a very cathartic level."

While we'll always adore his earlier roles in Even Stevens, Holes, and Disturbia, it's quite impressive to see Shia growing and being choosier about his work.

There may have been a few times over the years that we were on the fence about Shia's look — not everyone appreciates a bushy beard or high-waisted sweatpants, and yes, we still haven't gotten totally on board with that rattail — but when it comes to Shia's body, you can't deny how great he's looking these days. Whether you prefer him with long hair and facial scruff or clean-cut and slicked-back, Shia's hotness can't be ignored — as evidenced by his sexy shirtless spread in the November 2014 issue of Interview Magazine — and it's clear that all that running is really paying off.