Shawn Fonteno, the actor behind Franklin in Grand Theft Auto 5, has dished on his relationship with his fellow GTA co-stars behind Michael and Trevor.
It’s been more than a decade since Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto 5, but the game is still heralded as one of the best around. Hordes of players still log in for GTA Online every day, and there are plenty still playing through the story in different ways, too.
The actors behind the three main characters from the story, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, are still part of that as well. Ned Luke, who plays Michael, streams GTA on Twitch, and the trio regularly appear together at fan expos and events.
They’ve got a pretty close bond at this point, which is something Shawn Fonteno dished on while speaking to Dexerto for Fall Damage.
Franklin actor dishes on working with Michael & Trevor actors
“My relationship between them dudes is real good. We real cool. I can call both of them right now and they’ll pick up the phone to talk,” he told Fall Damage.
Fonteno, who played Franklin in GTA 5 and GTA Online, wasn’t actually an actor before being cast by Rockstar. That has seen him praise Ned Luke and Steven Ogg’s patience when working with him.
“Over three and a half years working together on this game, you couldn’t do nothing but build that camaraderie and friendship, you know,” he added. “They understood me for being hwo I was, which was not a profound actor, but they respect for being a dude that come from the hood, and I respect them for where they come from.”
Fonteno noted that he was “kind of jealous” of how “brilliant” his co-stars were working on their own scenes.
“It took me a while to get to that point, but I eventually got there to where I learned to just be me and quit trying to be something I wasn’t,” he added. “I learned that from them dudes.”