Shia LaBeouf is talking again, and as always, it’s a treat. In a new cover story for Variety, the actor explains how tight-knit the cast of his next movie, American Honey, became while filming. “We bonded hard,†he said. “You do whatever is required for it to be true, for it to be honest. I had to run this group, sort of like a pimp.†And apparently under LaBeouf’s tutelage, bonding apparently means getting copious tattoos. The actor got 12 new ones throughout filming — much to the chagrin of his continuity-loving director — across his arms, neck, and knees, which now both display portraits of Missy Elliott. “I don’t love Missy Elliott like I wanna get two Missy Elliott tattoos,†LaBeouf told Variety. “But you’re in a tattoo parlor, and†*insert shrug here* “peer pressure.†LaBoeuf also talks about the artistry of Michael Bay, his distaste for the movies he made with Steven Spielberg (“He’s less a director than he is a fucking companyâ€), how a “weird post-modern fascination with the fuck-ups†led to his drinking problem, and how Suicide Squad got rewritten for Will Smith. Welcome back to being famous, Shia.