Shia LaBeouf stars as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who holds the key to saving mankind in Transformers, directed by Michael Bay and executive produced by long-time Transformers fan Steven Spielberg. Megan Fox co-stars as a friend of Sam’s who gets caught up in the war between Autobots (the good guys) and Decepticons (the bad guys).

At the press junket, Fox and LaBeouf teamed up to discuss the action-packed film.

This is a summer action movie but do you think there?s something deeper going on?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Sure. You know, we haven?t had a scene in a movie where America?s painted real nicely. Approval ratings blows and recruiting numbers aren?t doing well and it?s just that the country?s not in a good place. Movies like this kind of give you that hero vibe. You start turning the military into a hero. It?s good for people to see that, to have that pride in their country. So there?s that. I mean as far as a supreme message, hope?you get to like the real cheesy, sh**ty ones. But I think that?s the big one is like the fact that they make heroes out of the government and military, which hasn?t happened in a while.?

How did you approach this part? When you read the script where did you begin?

Shia LaBeouf: ?You read it and you?ve got to figure out your supreme objective. It?s just about figuring out objectives. Once you figure out objectives, you?re great. You?re good. It?s just figuring out objectives. All the other stuff is semantics.?

Jon Voight and John Turturro were marveling at your ability to act with a pole and a Styrofoam ball.

Shia LaBeouf: ?They?re just marveling because they?re in the same cast and they have to marvel.?

How do you get your comic timing right ? particularly in the scene in the backyard ?when the effects are added later?

Shia LaBeouf: ?You just play around. Some of it doesn?t work; some of it you look ridiculous. Some of it works. It?s just play time. You?ve just got to be free about it. You?ve just to be able to put your balls on the chopping block and go, ?All right, this is me. Let?s have fun.? You?ve just got to be free.?

Do you have a vivid imagination?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.?

Facing down robots and kissing a beautiful woman?was this a dream come true type of movie?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah, kind of because I was a fan. Yeah, kind of. I was floating on a cloud.?

Was it hard to balance the needs of playing the character and dealing with all these non-existent characters?

Shia LaBeouf: ?I mean it?s not Elephant Man. It?s tough. It?s a dance. Because we?re both in a scene together, we both have to respond to the movement together otherwise it seems fake. So just learning the movements, on which lines the movements happen, where?s the robot now, things like that you?ve got to think about. You wouldn?t normally think about it on a regular flick.?

Michael Bay always peppers his films with beautiful women. What challenges did you face to try and get beyond that ?babe? role?

Megan Fox: ?Well I think the writers wrote her as a very respectable female character. She was strong and she was different. She was relatable and all of these things, so it wasn?t really up to me. The writers did a great job.?

How did it feel to get that glowing Liv Tyler shot in which you?re lying in the rubble in the street and the sun hits you?

Megan Fox: ?I didn?t realize what was happening while we were making it. I just remember Mike was really excited while he was filming it. But, I mean, I see why. It?s beautiful.?

Did Michael Bay push you?

Megan Fox: ?No, no, no, no. I mean he pushed me but he had to, not in a negative way. To push me to be tougher, to maybe do some of that action that maybe I wasn?t prepared to do. I needed that.?

What was the audition process like with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg?

Megan Fox: ?It was long for me. I had like eight different meetings over the span of maybe a month, a month and a half. And there?s a lot of other people you have to convince as well. It?s not just those two. It?s like a mass amount of people who have to believe in you.?

Was that intimidating?

Megan Fox: ?I mean particularly for me because I?m kind of coming out of nowhere. I?m completely unknown, so it?s very intimidating. But then he brought me in for chemistry reasons with Shia and I really like Shia and got along with Shia. I think that helped me.?

Was it one look for you and you knew she was the one?

Shia LaBeouf: ?No, she came in and auditioned. She rocked the audition and sort of? Beauty is a common thing, external beauty. There are lots of beautiful women. She just killed the audition.?

This is so massive. Can you imagine what they?ll do for a sequel?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah. Oh yeah.?

And you?re going to be a part of it?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah, everybody?s going to be a part of it. [spoiler deleted]?

You?re signed for three?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Everybody?s going to be ready. Everybody?s ready to go.?

How quickly do you think?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Not crazy quickly. I don?t think too quick. Mike wants to do a different movie. Everyone?s working on different things so whenever we come back to [it]. Everybody?ll come back.?

What was your most enjoyable moment during filming?

Shia LaBeouf: ?All the stuff in the car with Megan is fun. You?re in close quarters all day long. Just saying? No, that was fun.?

Was it good for you too, Megan?

Megan Fox: ?Yeah, Shia?s the best kisser I?ve ever kissed.?

Shia LaBeouf: ?More of that marveling s**t that they just have to do.?

So people say that line to you all the time?

Shia LaBeouf: (Lots of laughing) ?Oh yeah, of course. I heard that line in Korea.?

Now that you?re playing romantic leads, does that help your game with the ladies?

Shia LaBeouf: ?My game with the ladies is lame, dude. It?s just lame. I read those stupid like self-help books and s**t just because I?m lame. The 10 Step Guide??

Are you kidding?

Shia LaBeouf; ?I?m not kidding. I?m telling you.?

Is there a concern in your social life that women like you for who you are?

Shia LaBeouf: ?I don?t care what they like me for (laughing)… They?ve just got to like me, man. I?ve just got to believe them.?

Are you enjoying yourself on this other little independent Spielberg movie [Indiana Jones 4]?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. It?s the most enjoyable thing I?ve ever been a part of.?

What is cool about being in an Indiana Jones film?

Shia LaBeouf: ?What?s not cool about being in an Indiana Jones film??

Is it more of a sidekick role?

Shia LaBeouf: ?I can?t tell you.?

How has the process been with Spielberg so far? Are you close to shooting now?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah, we?re gearing up. We?re getting ready to go.?

And working with Spielberg, just artistically?

Shia LaBeouf: ?He?s a great guy. He?s very caring, very free but knows how to direct. I mean he?s made a lot of good movies.?

Have you met Karen Allen by any chance?

Shia LaBeouf: ?I can?t tell you that.?

Megan, has this movie opened up doors for you?

Megan Fox: ?Yeah, absolutely. It opened every door I could possibly hope for it to open. It?s a huge movie and this movie is such a start that it?s helping me a lot.?

What kind of things are you looking for now?

Megan Fox: ?Well, I?m doing a movie with Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst in London tomorrow night, actually.?

Is it a comedy role?

Megan Fox: ?Yes, it?s a dark comedy.? [the film is How to Lose Friends & Alienate People]

Have you met Simon and Kirsten?

Megan Fox: ?I haven?t met anybody. They?re filming already.?

Are you playing Simon Pegg?s British girlfriend?

Megan Fox; ?No, that?s Kirsten. Oh wait, she?s the end love interest. I?m playing Sophie who is the starlet, the main distraction.?

Is she an American or British character?

Megan Fox: ?She was written, I think, British but it?ll be American.?

Shia, do you know what you?re going to be doing after Indy?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Another thing with Steven.?

Lincoln?

Shia LaBeouf: ?No.?

Is it nice to be on a first name basis with Steven?

Shia LaBeouf: ?It?s very nice. I call him Steven, ?Mr Spielberg?, depending on what he?s looking like.?

So you?re not going to say but is it Interstellar?

Shia LaBeouf: ?No.?

Is starring in an independent film more demanding because you?re in every single shot and there?s a lot more emotional work to do?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Those are different types of shoots. You know, you?re in Queens and you have no money and you?re like rooming up, six of you. It?s just a s**tty life. It?s just the life part of it sucks.?

Does that feel more meaningful?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Sure, but I can?t say that Transformers didn?t have the same appeal for me. For me, Transformers is my science fiction. This is my Star Wars. This is what I grew up on. It means just as much to me. And plus, indie films aren?t necessarily more interesting or better films. They?re just made differently, the truth of it is.?

But you enjoy those?

Shia LaBeouf: ?Yeah, yeah. I?ll go back to it. But I can?t, ?Hey, Steven, I like you and all. Your movies are great but I?m going to go make some indie flicks. Peace.? That?s probably not going to happen.?