Mel Gibson Feels Sorry For Shia LaBeouf: Young Actor Hits Gym In Attempt To Embrace Healthier Lifestyle (VIDEO)

Actor Mel Gibson is no stranger to the celebrity meltdown and has expressed empathy for current media bad boy Shia LaBeouf.

The 58-year-old actor sat down for an interview with Indiewire to discuss his career and the downside of fame. He said, "You're a target. And you have to be really adept at tap dancing and dodging the bullets. And sometimes you get hit. Sometimes mortally. It's pretty bad."

His thoughts then turned to LaBeouf: "When I see someone like Shia LaBeouf with the bag on his head and stuff, my heart goes out to the poor guy. I think he's suffering in some way. Why would he do that? People are in line to sort of point the finger at him and say that he's this, that, or the other. It's easy to judge. But I'm sure he's going through some kind of personal, very painful, cathartic thing that he has to exorcise and get out there. He'll probably play it out and come back...He'll be all right. I actually like the kid. I think he's good."

A sex symbol during the '80s and much of the '90s, Mel fortunes changed when he was pulled over for a DUI in 2006 and unleashed a fury of anti-Semitic remarks at the arresting officer. Four years later, tapes of leaked of Gibson's tirade against then girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. The combination of these events have left Mel mostly untouchable in Hollywood, but he appears to be on the comeback trail with a new role in The Expendables 3.

LaBeouf was poised to be Hollywood's next big thing, after starring in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Transformers franchise, but he has been derailed by his addiction to alcohol which has resulted in unpredictable behavior and trouble with the law over the past couple of years.

The embattled 28-year-old actor has been spotted headed to the gym in Los Angeles where he is said to be receiving treatment.