GTA 6 Adds Red Dead Redemption 2 Star To Cast As Fan-Favourite Returns

Grand Theft Auto VI has just confirmed an actor from Red Dead Redemption 2 will be returning to voice a character in the upcoming game.

We already know many of the characters who are set to appear in Grand Theft Auto VI, but Rockstar Games has remained rather tight-lipped about the actors who will be appearing in the game.

Even the performers behind the game’s main duo, Jason and Lucia, have yet to be confirmed, and they probably won’t be until Grand Theft Auto VI releases on 19 November.

Despite that, it seems that one actor from Red Dead Redemption 2 has already confirmed their appearance in the upcoming game, making them the first confirmed actor to deck out the game’s cast.

In a TikTok livestream from earlier this week (via Comic Book), actor Jim Santangeli confirmed that he has a role in Grand Theft Auto VI, saying that it’s a “small” role but also described it as “cool”.

Santangeli played Simon Pearson, a member of the Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 who acts as the group’s cook. He also voiced a pedestrian in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Considering the role has been described as small, this could be anywhere from a cameo to a one-off mission appearance. I doubt he’s playing a major character who will have a large presence in the story.

Nonetheless, we don’t have any clue who he’s playing yet. Santangeli has likely signed a massive non-disclosure agreement to prevent him from talking about it right now.

Simon Pearson in Red Dead Redemption 2 (Source: RDR2.org)

Rockstar Games Is Known To Commonly Reuse Actors From Previous Projects, Even For Small Roles

Rockstar is known to reuse actors across each of its games. Ned Luke, famous for playing Michael de Santa in Grand Theft Auto V, played a small role in Red Dead Redemption 2. Meanwhile, Benjamin Byron Davis, who played Dutch in both Red Dead Redemption games, also played a character in L.A. Noire.

So it stands to reason that several actors from Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 could also appear in Grand Theft Auto VI. It's also likely we might hear more about this in the following weeks and months, especially after the third trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI drops during the summer.

Grand Theft Auto VI is set for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 19 November 2026.

Set to be one of the most expensive entertainment projects of all time, it’ll be Rockstar Games’ first release since Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, and is predicted to sell 35 million copies within the first few months of release.

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