Shia LaBoeuf doesn't just say sorry - he hires a skywriter to do it

As apologies go, this one by actor Shia LaBeouf could be pretty hard to beat.

The quirky star, soon to be seen baring all in Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, has recently been at the centre of a plagiarism row after his short film, Howard Cantour, was accused of ripping off Justin M Damiano, a comic book by author Daniel Clowes.

But instead of just saying sorry in person, LaBeouf decided to put a more unique spin on events – by hiring a skywriter to do the job.

The subsequent apology, bearing the legend ‘I am sorry Daniel Clowes’ etched out in cloud form, was later posted to the actor’s Twitter page.

It follows his slightly lower-key tweet to the author on New Year’s Eve, which read: ‘Mr Clowes, I can only ask that you view my apology as a stepping stone toward repairing this misunderstanding between us. I’m sorry.’

LaBeouf went on to defend himself further by saying: ‘I am not a biter. I’m a writer for myself and others. I steal some plot points & dialogue. I’m only big’n up my brother.’

Howard Cantour was screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival before its online premiere last month – with viewers quickly noting the similarity between LaBeouf’s movie and Clowes’ comic book, both of which are set in the world of Inteet film criticism.

Clowes is best known for the comic book Ghost World, which was made into a 2001 film starring Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch.