'GTA 5' Franklin Actor Says He Almost Quit On His First Day

Grand Theft Auto is an iconic franchise, and not just for the endless memes. Throughout the years, GTA entries have gone on to become some of the best games of their respective generations. Needless to say, that doesn’t include the somewhat tragic Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition which was plagued with bugs and glitches upon release (and was the work of Grove Street Studios, as opposed to Rockstar).

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V fared much better upon its release in 2013, going on to break seven Guinness World Records and becoming the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at the time. It’s clear that Rockstar knew exactly what they were doing during the game’s production but it turns out, Franklin actor Shawn Fonteno almost quit on his first day on the project.

Take a look at Grand Theft Auto V's PlayStation 5 graphics compared to the PlayStation 3.

Franklin Clinton is one of the game’s three protagonists - a street criminal who wants to eventually build a better life for himself. In his new book, Game Changer: My Journey From the Streets to Your Video Game Console, Shawn revealed that he didn’t realise that playing Franklin would involve motion capture as well as voiceover work. 

Realising he had walked into a body performance capture studio on his first day, Shawn immediately had second thoughts. That growing feeling of self-consciousness only intensified as he put on the skin-tight motion capture suit that I’m sure we’ve all seen modelled in behind the scenes content online. Shawn went back to his dressing room where he told producers he couldn’t continue.

Thankfully for us, Shawn was talked into staying after a deal was struck for the crew to also don motion-capture suits, which is equal parts extreme and sweet. Franklin’s arc is certainly one of the most meaningful and successful in the Grand Theft Auto franchise so we’re happy that Shawn overcame his insecurities and struck the iconic T-pose.