GQ: Do you think the success of the game will lead to more TV and film work for you?
Ned Luke (Michael): I hope so. [Laughs] I think that’s the goal of everything you do. Stanislavski said, “Love art in yourself, and not yourself in art,” and for me, that’s what acting is. It’s the only thing I want to do. I love it. I’ve been in this game for thirty years and nobody knows who I am. You have really hard times and you have really good years and you have years that you can’t feed your family and you have to sell cars. I gotta tell you, stealing cars is a hell of a lot more fun than selling them! [Laughs]
GQ: How has your life changed since the game’s release?
Shawn Fonteno (Franklin): [Laughs] I’m turning into a star, man! People are reaching out to me and are really appreciative of what I gave to the game. I feel good that I can make people happy with what they see in Franklin. I’m getting a lot of compliments and I’m loving it.
Ned Luke (Michael): This has reawakened my imagination like nothing I’ve ever done before. Doing this game has made me a better actor than I ever was. You’ve got to understand, I was a bitter dude coming off four years of being out of the business. I went back to my hometown so my son could experience where I came from. You’re at my age and you don’t have a series or good representation, and then to come out and get into this? You better believe I’m recharged.
GQ: Steven, is it harder or easier to play someone completely off the rails like Trevor?
Steven Ogg (Trevor): It’s certainly fun because you just get to be nuts. The thing about Trevor, this character that I so love to play, is that he kind of represents the gaming world and this idea of pure escapism. He gets to be that guy who gets to say whatever he wants, to do whatever he wants, to fuck whatever he wants. Everyone has that fantasy, right? Trevor just does it. It’s very liberating. So, to play that, you basically have an impulse, you feel it, and you try it. There’s someone there to help you with when to pull back or let you know what doesn’t work, but it’s very freeing. I also love that people are recognizing his sense of humor. That was Trevor for me. Walk that line. Bring in the fucking intensity. Bring in the violence. But also, through that, find a sense of humor and allow people to laugh at it. When you do that, it sends that message that you’re not taking yourself too seriously. It’s a little wink. Three years of getting to do that? Yes, please!
GQ: In that same vein, Ned, did you feel like you had a lot more creative freedom and input working on GTAV as opposed to the film and TV work you’ve done?
Ned Luke (Michael): That might be the thing I’m most proud of on this deal—I was given so much freedom to become the guy. That’s a testament to all the guys that worked on the game. They’re so confident and have so little ego about what they’re doing. They want the game to be the best that it can be, same as me. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. It was like going back to acting class, being able to be so free and not locked in. I’m just thankful for the faith and trust they had in me to do it. And that I didn’t overdo it and piss them off and have them fire me. [Laughs]