Writer-director Josh Penn Soskin recounts an on-set incident involving Shia LaBeouf during production of his debut film, “The Rooster Prince”, saying the actor became distressed and shouted after an intense scene. Soskin describes the event as frightening for colleagues but interprets LaBeouf’s behaviour through the lens of the mental-health struggles experienced by his late brother, who inspired the film.

The film began shooting in Oklahoma in November 2025 and centres on a character based on Soskin’s brother David, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who had bipolar disorder and experienced a manic episode in 2017. Soskin says LaBeouf’s performance was powerful, but the incident ended the day’s filming after three takes, leaving producers anxious and the director concerned about keeping the production on track.