Comikaze: The Cast of ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Reflects on Balls, Riots and Online Gaming

Comikaze had a schedule full of of panels this year, but few were as exciting as the Grand Theft Auto V voice actor panel. Joined by Ned Luke, (Michael) Shawn Fonteno, (Franklin) Steven Ogg, (Trevor) Danny Tamberelli, (Jimmy) and Slink Johnson, (Lamar) the fans were sure to get a wild time, especially if their time in the game was any indication.

Below are the highlights of the conversation:

– Most, (if not all,) of the game was shot in front of a green screen with the actors playing their roles in front of the camera like a traditional movie, aside from the skin tight mocap suits covered in balls that they were forced to wear. The way the characters moved were all how the actors moved, from walking, running and riding the bikes, making them feel more realistic. I think was a good payoff despite being smothered in balls from head to toe. Did I mention they were playing with balls? (This was a major part of the panel.)

The cast of GTA V wearing a significant lack of balls.

-On the subject of mocap, the mission where Michael and Jimmy have to ride their bikes together was shot with the actors riding side by side. The directors asked them to ride as fast as possible up until a certain point. Riding fast in  a small room? Not a good idea. Danny and Ned had to shoot that over 70 times to get it right, all without accidentally killing themselves.

– The cast was forced to sign non-disclosure agreements when they were hired for their roles. That’s typical for such a big project, but the contract didn’t say what they were working on, and they wouldn’t find out until much later. Steven didn’t realize how big it was since he doesn’t game. Since Danny is a big gamer, he knew the only projects Rockstar were working on were Max Payne 3 and GTAV, so he figured at the time of signing that it had to be GTA. Ned and Shawn were excited, but none of them could touch Slink.

– Both Shawn and Slink were former gang members, but Slink in particular seemed so humble to be apart of this project, mentioning that  the idea that someone who used to run the streets ended up at this point, he couldn’t stop thanking the fans who helped the game become the success that it is. Or as he repeatedly put it, “thank mothafuckin’ ya’ll!”

– Shawn’s real life cousin is Young Maylay, the voice actor of CJ from San Andreas. The fact that they’re both from Los Santos near the same area that Grove Street used to rule, it’s strange to think that this ended up being purely coincidental. If you’re hoping for a meeting between the two protagonists, they’re in the process of working on a mixtape together. Shawn let hints of the rumored CJ DLC drop a few times, but of course, nothing is confirmed yet.

– Ned and Shawn had apparently met years before, but not in the way you might think. When arriving on set, Ned said he swore he recognized Shawn from somewhere. As it turns out, Shawn *may* have robbed Ned during the LA riots in the early 90’s. Considering how Franklin and Michael formally meet when Frank tries to steal a car from Michael’s house, and we have a case of fiction mimicking reality.

It’s clear that these guys had too much fun working together.

– The cast had to ad lib the majority of the script to make it sound more natural. While the script writers put together a fantastic stories that earned the praise of everyone on the panel, their British background  made relating to hood life as let’s say… a bit of a challenge. Over time, dialogue that started off as, “hey mate, let’s go chat for a bit,” turned into, “sup, dawg. What’s goin’ down?” Although I won’t lie, I’d pay for a redone version with the original dialogue, just to see how Los Santos would be with a splash of Downtown Abbey.

-Speaking of the script, this thing was a monster. Ned mentioned that it had to have been at least 3500 pages of dialogue. With that said, the ad libs and the crew getting to know the actors led to a perfect blend between who the characters were written to be and who the actors really are through their individual personalities. As Ned put it, “They wrote us.”

-3500 pages was a hell of a task, which is probably why Slink didn’t bother reading it. While the actors got together and went over their lines, Slink could usually be found off to the side sleeping somewhere. With that said, every time the cameras started rolling, he knew EXACTLY what to say and really made Lamar his own. I thought his dialogue was some of the most realistic, so I can see why.

– The actors apparently like messing with people online. One time, Ned noticed someone who may or may not have been named DenzelKid getting killed repeatedly. Later, Ned hid in his car and had a father-like talk that only Michael could give. To paraphrase, “I see you getting killed a lot out there. What the hell are you doing?” DenzelKid apparently recognized his voice and muttered, “Is this… Is this Franklin!?” From then on, Ned rode with him, helped him through the game and bought him a car that hopefully won’t get repossessed. Hopefully he appreciated this more than Jimmy ever did.

Trevor being Trevor.

-Lamar on the other hand, is treated like a minor celebrity online. Both on the street and in GTA Online, people are constantly thanking him for picking them up from the airport. A thank you is the least of what he deserves. Picking up millions of people worldwide is hard work!

– That’s not to say being recognized online is a good thing. Ned keeps getting hits put on him by some guy named AddPrices. He gave us permission to hunt him down for messing with Mr. De Santa. If you see this guy, have at it!

– And lastly, working with Lazlow was great, especially when tattooing a penis on his chest.

I didn’t follow the game all that closely, so seeing how much went into the development of the acting portion alone was beyond impressive. One thing that was apparent from watching these five interact however, was how much fun they had making the game and how close they became throughout the three year process of making one of the most successful games of all time. The chemistry shined on stage and showed how five people from different countries, generations and backgrounds could meld so well, which was a big part of why GTAV‘s story was such a blast to experience.

Beyond GTA, you can catch Shawn working on his new clothing line, Rich Rotten, and a few film projects, not to mention the previously mentioned collaboration with CJ. Follow him on Twitter @Shawn_Fonteno.

Steven is heading to Toronto to work on a film with Henry Rollins, (Rollins and Trevor in one place? Toronto… your days are numbered!) From there, it’s off to Portland to film A Time to Kill. Then, it’s  The Neck. Ogg’s a busy guy! Keep up with him @StevenOgg.

Danny can be found at manboobscomedy.com and with his former Pete and Pete costar Mike Maronna on the Adventures of Danny and Mike podcast. To think that fat piece of vulgar crap in GTA was the same guy who helped me figure it out as a kid. Stalk him @dtamberelli.

Slink has a ton in the pipeline too, including Black Jesus on Adult Swim, Community Service, a sitcom that just wrapped up its pilot and is currently seeking a network, and performing stand up at The Comedy Store in LA. Otherwise, you can still catch him @Slinkybaby and on the streets of Normandie and Florance.

And Ned… Ned is doing what he does best. Being a husband and father. When not being a family man, follow him @ned_luke.