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The voices behind Grand Theft Auto 5's three-hero cast — Steven Ogg (Trevor), Shawn Fonteno (Franklin) and Ned Luke (Michael) — recently spoke with GQ about their personal connections with the game following its launch.
Grand Theft Auto 5 set a record after topping $1 billion in sales after three days. Although the men spent three years slipping into their roles, the game's success has been startling for them. Fonteno called it something that will "go down in history" for him and his family, while Ogg said he had no idea the game would be such a hit.
"Even before the financial end of it, which I can't grasp, seeing trucks in Tokyo with my face on them or the billboards in Brooklyn that were being hand-painted with Trevor's face," Ogg said. "That's when the magnitude of this game started to sink in. It is a global thing."
As for personal connections with the characters they played, Ogg and Luke may not relate, but Fonteno says that he and Franklin are "tied together forever."
"We relate tremendously, man," Fonteno said. "I feel like changing my name to Franklin. Everything he's doing, I've done it. I don't want to put myself out there on blast, but I've done it. I'm an ex-gang member. I'm an ex-thief. I'm an ex-car stealer. I've done it. I know what it feels like to be on both sides of the gun, go to jail, et cetera."
Luke and Ogg, who both have young sons, are reluctant to let their kids play the game. Speaking about Grand Theft Auto 5's violence and treatement of women, Luke said he views the game as satire, and that anyone who expects something different is "fooling themselves." Fonteno said that people should treat the game the same way they treat movies.
"You see all the same stuff that's happening in these games in comic books and TV shows," Fonteno said. "It's just a script. We're having fun."
You can read the full interview over at GQ. For more on Grand Theft Auto 5, check out our review, discussion of the game's torture scene or the latest episode of The Besties.
