Shia LaBeouf has become known, in the past year or so, for taking roles that are far outside his own comfort zone…and perhaps the comfort zone of his own audience, who watched him grow up on the Disney Channel.

After appearing in a Sigur Ros video in which the term “full frontal” got him major headlines, he went on to star in the highly acclaimed “Lawless” as a young man involved in the moonshine trade of the ’20s. For that role, he says he did some research in the form of swigging some ‘shine, and for his latest role–in Sundance favorite “The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman”–he says he dropped acid.

“There’s a way to do an acid trip like Harold & Kumar, and there’s a way to be on acid,” he said. “What I know of acting, Sean Penn actually strapped up to that (electric) chair in Dead Man Walking. These are the guys that I look up to.”

LaBeouf says he filmed himself while tripping and sent the footage to co-star Evan Rachel Wood for feedback.

“I remember trying to conjure this and sending tapes and Evan being like, ‘Yeah, that’s good, but that’s not, but this is, but that ain’t,” he said.

The young star says Wood helped him immensely while he was tackling the role; all that hard work seems to have paid off, as there is strong buzz around the film at the festival this year.