Shia LaBeouf is the spitting image of tennis legend John McEnroe as he attends press conference for Borg/McEnroe film in Sweden

He's said he really identifies with the iconic bad boy of tennis.

And Shia LaBeouf certainly seemed to be making great efforts to capture John McEnroe's every nuance as he attended a press conference for Borg/McEnroe.

Sitting down alongside co-star Sverrir Gudnason, the actor, 30, certainly had the Wimbledon champion's look down to a tee as the cast assembled in Gothenberg, Sweden.

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John? Shia LaBeouf certainly seemed to be making great efforts to capture John McEnroe's every nuance as he attended a press conference for Borg/McEnroe 

John? Shia LaBeouf certainly seemed to be making great efforts to capture John McEnroe's every nuance as he attended a press conference for Borg/McEnroe 

Clad in a red jumper, camel cargo shorts and a greying baseball cap, the Transformers actor's wardrobe aped the American sports star's to a high degree.

With a cascade of black curly hair spilling out down his neck from underneath the cap, McEnroe's famous mullet was also evident as were a pair of very large side-burns.

Sat in-between Sverrir and their co-star Tuva Novotny, who plays Borg's ex-wife Mariana Simionescu, Shia was all smiles as the cast fielded questions.

Spitting image: Sitting down alongside co-star Sverrir Gudnason, the actor, 30, certainly had the Wimbledon champion's look down to a tee as the cast assembled in Gothenberg, Sweden
Spitting image: Sitting down alongside co-star Sverrir Gudnason, the actor, 30, certainly had the Wimbledon champion's look down to a tee as the cast assembled in Gothenberg, Sweden

Spitting image: Sitting down alongside co-star Sverrir Gudnason, the actor, 30, certainly had the Wimbledon champion's look down to a tee as the cast assembled in Gothenberg, Sweden

The former Hollywood hell-raiser appeared to be in a bombastic mood, and couldn't suppress a smile.

Newcomer Sverrir was a doppelganger for his character at the event, and looked almost identical to Swedish tennis legend,Bjorn.

With his mane of light brown hair spilling down to his shoulders and a layer of stubble on his cheeks, the 38-year-old Wallander star was the spitting image of Borg.

Back in th '80s: Clad in a red jumper, camel cargo shorts and a greying baseball cap, the Transformers actor's wardrobe aped the American sports star's to a high degree

Back in th '80s: Clad in a red jumper, camel cargo shorts and a greying baseball cap, the Transformers actor's wardrobe aped the American sports star's to a high degree

Mullet man: With a cascade of black curly hair spilling out down his neck from underneath the cap, McEnroe's famous mullet was also evident as were a pair of very large side-burns

Mullet man: With a cascade of black curly hair spilling out down his neck from underneath the cap, McEnroe's famous mullet was also evident as were a pair of very large side-burns

Also attending the conference were Thor star Stellan Skarsgård and film-maker Janus Metz Pedersen.

Shia has made no secret of his love for the film, only the third feature film he's starred in since 2014's Fury.

'[McEnroe and I have] everything in common. Passionate. Perfectionist. Narcissistic. I'm a bit of a caricature also,' Shia confessed to Variety in May, talking about his new role. 

Another doppelganger: Newcomer Sverrir was a doppelganger for his character at the event, and looked almost identical to Swedish tennis legend,Bjorn

Another doppelganger: Newcomer Sverrir was a doppelganger for his character at the event, and looked almost identical to Swedish tennis legend,Bjorn

With his mane of light brown hair spilling down to his shoulders and a layer of stubble on his cheeks, the 38-year-old Wallander star was the spitting image of Borg

With his mane of light brown hair spilling down to his shoulders and a layer of stubble on his cheeks, the 38-year-old Wallander star was the spitting image of Borg

Sat in-between Sverrir and their co-star Tuva Novotny, who plays Borg's ex-wife Mariana Simionescu, Shia was all smiles as the cast fielded questions

Sat in-between Sverrir and their co-star Tuva Novotny, who plays Borg's ex-wife Mariana Simionescu, Shia was all smiles as the cast fielded questions

By Thor's hammer! Also attending the conference were Thor star Stellan Skarsgård and film-maker Janus Metz Pedersen

By Thor's hammer! Also attending the conference were Thor star Stellan Skarsgård and film-maker Janus Metz Pedersen

'You look for parallels in your life, and I'm lucky because there is a lot here...I haven't met him yet, but I'm eager to meet him before we shoot. I got nothing but love and respect for him.'

Speaking about his passion for Pederson's script, Shia said the story touched him emotionally.

'The script is brilliant. We are all here because of that,' he says. 'I cried the first time I read it. It's not based on a book or a biography. It's based on hard work.'

High spirits: The cast were all smiles (Pictured L-R) Fredrik Wikstrom, Tuva Novotny, Stellan, Sverrir Gudnason, Shia, Janus Metz Pedersen, Ronnie Sandahl and Jon Nohrstedt

High spirits: The cast were all smiles (Pictured L-R) Fredrik Wikstrom, Tuva Novotny, Stellan, Sverrir Gudnason, Shia, Janus Metz Pedersen, Ronnie Sandahl and Jon Nohrstedt

Buddied: Sverrir and Shia looked to have formed a firm friendship while working on the film

Buddied: Sverrir and Shia looked to have formed a firm friendship while working on the film

Charming Co-stars: Stellan and Tuva were also in fine form at the event
Charming Co-stars: Stellan and Tuva were also in fine form at the event

Charming Co-stars: Stellan and Tuva were also in fine form at the event

Ready to get going? Danish filmmaker Janus looked delighted to be hitting the promotional trail with his project

Ready to get going? Danish filmmaker Janus looked delighted to be hitting the promotional trail with his project

While Shia has yet to meet the man himself, he has been transformed into the tennis star, with his brown locks styled into a perm when he was spotted on set earlier this month.

The actor joins up and comer Sverrir Gudnason who will play Swedish icon Borg in the film, which centres around their 1980 Wimbledon final face-off, widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches in history.

The pair were completely opposite in their playing styles with McEnroe becoming known for tantrums and emotional outbursts on the court while Borg was calm and emotionless.

The players met 14 times on the regular tour and 22 times in total.

Their rivalry extended between 1978 and 1981, with each player winning seven times against the other. Because of their contrasting personalities, their rivalry was described as "Fire and Ice". 

Legendary: Shia plays John in the film, which centres around the American's 1980 Wimbledon final face-off with Borg - widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches in history

Legendary: Shia plays John in the film, which centres around the American's 1980 Wimbledon final face-off with Borg - widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches in history

 

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