After memoir by Sean “Solo” Fontenot with the actor who played the role of Franklin in gta 5contacted the Australian portal Press Start, and took interview. Here are selected moments from that conversation.
It took Solo two and a half years to write the biography. The author calls the main message the opportunity to show people that a person can overcome everything with proper help. For him, his wife and children became such help. Thanks to the Fonteno family, he left behind the humiliation and regular (“beating 3-4 times a week”) abuse from his stepfather in childhood, participation in a gangster group, and even an addiction to painkillers.
As soon as I began to improve my life, less than 5 months later I received an invitation from Rockstar. They took me off the street and gave me a second chance.
Sean’s first role was in GTA: San Andreas, where his cousin, known as Young Maylay, voiced the main character, CJ. Fonteno interested the developers, as in the past he himself was a member of the gang. But he was approached not through a relative (he did not even say that he gave voice to the protagonist of the game, “despite the fact that they hung out together two or three times a week – all because of a non-disclosure agreement”), but through DJ Pooh, who has been a consultant for R* for many years. Years later, when work began on the fifth part, Pooh again recruited Solo.
At first I didn’t want to agree. He didn’t mention GTA or even say it was something for Rockstar, calling the project Paradise. My reaction was: “What is this even? ..”
In the second minute, you can see CJ and Franklin in real life.
The actor had no idea that he would become part of a super-successful product that would sell hundreds of millions of copies. For him, it was an escape from Los Angeles and “certain people”, an opportunity to reset his life.
We didn’t know we were working on Grand Theft Auto V for at least a year, but we knew we were at Rockstar because we were working on their territory. Of course, when they found out, I realized the scale.
Solo speaks flatteringly about the entire team he worked with: the director, Ned Luke (Michael in the game), Steven Ogg (Trevor) … And also admits that he experienced a “culture shock” because of the script (three and a half thousand pages! ).
I was the only non-actor. Previously, where I was filming, I played myself.
If we had a three-page scene and someone forgot the last line, we started all over again. Working for R* as an actor made me feel much more comfortable in this business.
But even while working on GTA 5, now the actor, who played a serious role next to the professionals, did not leave the thought that he was playing himself again – a ghetto boy with ambitions.
Me and Ned [Люком] a very close relationship developed. He really became my mentor, as did Michael Franklin. He helped me a lot, but sometimes he pushed me, because he thought he knew better. But I played Franklin the way I saw fit. I couldn’t be Franklin de Santa, could I?
Between work on the “five” and return to the role in the addition of “Contract” Sean never returned to acting.
Probably, it was worth going to auditions, taking small roles to hone my skills … But I still quickly got involved. True, this time I had to be the boss – it was unusual.
Finally, Fonteno said that he himself plays GTA Online:
I occasionally play online, but most of the time I get snipers from afar.
Many players simply do not believe that I am me, despite the recognizable voice.
Source: gta.com.ua