The 28-year-old actor, who was arrested earlier this year for disorderly conduct and was later admitted to rehab for alcoholism, credits the World War II movie for helping him change his ways and his religious views.
Shia, who has previously claimed he was Jewish, told the November issue of Interview magazine: “I’ve been a runner my whole life, running from myself. Whether to movies or drinking and drugging or f***ing calamity or whatever it is, I’ve always been running.
“I found God doing ‘Fury.’ I became a Christian man, and not in a f***ing b******t way – in a very real way.
“I could have just said the prayers that were on the page. But it was a real thing that really saved me.”
Shia also praised Alec Baldwin, who was instrumental in getting the star fired from the Broadway play ‘Orphans’ after they clashed on set, for being there for him after he was arrested in June for disrupting a performance of ‘Cabaret’ and spitting at a police officer.
He explained: “I’ve made peace with Baldwin. He was the first dude to hit me up after I got out of court.
“He sent me an e-mail. It’s really beautiful. I was crying on an airplane.”
Meanwhile, Shia pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charge in September, but a judge ruled his plea would be dismissed and he would avoid both jail time and probation if he undergoes treatment for another three months and stayed out of trouble for six.