GTA 5 Actor Reveals Why He Almost Quit on First Day of Shooting

Grand Theft Auto V actor Shawn Fonteno has revealed why he almost quit the project before he had even recorded a single line of dialogue or motion. The actor played Franklin Clinton in Rockstar’s 2013 game and made an impression on players for being an authentic street hustler trying to climb the criminal ladder. By the end of the game, Clinton manages to secure himself a house in Vinewood Hills that overlooks the skyline of Los Santos, a far cry from his roots near neighborhoods like Grove Street. Of course, all of this comes after lots of murder, betrayals, and much more, creating a meaningful arc for the character.

With that said, actor Shawn Fonteno almost walked away from this rich character early on in the game’s production. In his new book Game Changer: My Journey From the Streets to Your Video Game Console, Fonteno detailed his journey to starring in Rockstar’s game and shared some rare insight on the making of Grand Theft Auto V. On his first day, Fonteno walked into Rockstar’s New York studio thinking that he’d be nothing more than voice over work, but realized it would be a full body performance. He was quickly instructed to put on a tight motion capture suit in a dressing room and come out to the stage, but due to the fit of the suit, Fonteno noted how he felt self-conscious and began to have second thoughts. He stormed out of the motion capture stage and back into his dressing room where he was ready to quit. The director of Grand Theft Auto V then met with him to try and calm him down. Ultimately, according to Fonteno, the director made a compromise and ordered all of the Rockstar employees on the set to don a motion capture suit, helping put him at ease.

It’s a pretty wild story, but it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Fonteno as Franklin in GTA 5. That willingness to make Fonteno more comfortable led to one of the most well-realized characters in gaming. Fonteno has been very active in the Rockstar Games community and has made his own suggestions for what he wants to see from GTA 6, a game that Rockstar is currently developing.

Game Changer: My Journey From the Streets to Your Video Game Console is now available to purchase on Amazon.

What do you think about Shawn Fonteno’s story? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.