'Even Stevens' cast reunites for show's 20th anniversary

There are plenty of adjectives we could use to describe Shia LaBeouf and, it would seem, confident is definitely one of them. The famous actor was a topic of conversation during a virtual Even Stevens reunion celebrating 20 years since the Disney Channel original series premiered. Although, the reunion was without it's star Shia, 17 members of the cast and crew, including Christy Carlson Romano, who played Ren Stevens and AJ Trauth, who played BFF Alan Twitty, provided no shortage of laughs and light-hearted moments including a story about Shia Labeouf antics in the audition room. LaBeouf actually told people at the audition that he had already landed the part of Louis Stevens, before he had actually gotten it. Trauth (who played LaBeouf’s best friend) explained what happened. “I feel like Shia told me this story... It was the auditions for Louis Stevens and Shia comes into the waiting room and starts introducing himself to all the other kid actors auditioning for Louis, saying, ‘Hey, I’m Shia, I’m playing Louis Stevens!” Honestly, it’s kind of perfect, considering his character on the show, Louis, was the ‘mischievous ne’er do well little brother of a perfectionist older sister.’ And, we imagine, he’s probably not the first actor to pull something like this in an effort to secure a role. Producer David Brookwell also chimed in, confirming that the story was, in fact, true. “Somebody came out of the lobby… saying, ‘Hey, Shia’s saying he’s got the part, and there’s another set of parents that are upset,’” Brookwell explained. “So we had to pull him aside and say, ‘Dude, what are you doing?’ and he’s like, ‘Well, you know, I’ve got the part, don’t I?’” [video_embed id='1957155']RELATED: 'Friends' reunion may film at the end of summer.[/video_embed] Based on this, we have a feeling LaBeouf identifies with the adage, “Fortune favours the bold”. And for the record, no one on the cast seemed put-off by his bold antics during auditions. Instead, they were quite vocal about LaBeouf’s “raw talent,” noting that his work on the show was instrumental to the success of the series. In fact, his role as Louis Stevens earned him a Young Artist Award nomination in 2001, and a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003. So, clearly, the feeling was mutual across cast members and fans alike. A makeup artist for the show, Karen Toole-Rentrop, shared that she always had a sense LaBeouf would experience a great deal of fame in his life. “You knew something was gonna happen with him. I met him he was eight… I’m happy for him, because he’s a good person and he’s gone through a lot, but you could see success in him from that age.” From his work on critically acclaimed movies like ‘Honey Boy,’ to his performance art projects, and eccentric (often cryptic) viral interview moments, the premonition was certainly right.

Happy birthday Shia LeBeouf ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pRrYYsOQk0

— ً (@Ienscap) June 11, 2020

Big things were in store for LaBeouf, and Even Stevens was just the beginning (even if it involved a little white lie).[video_embed id='1979183']BEFORE YOU GO: How Ramy Youssef got Mahershala Ali on season 2 of 'Ramy'[/video_embed]