TheGrand Theft Autoseries debuted in the late 1990s, but really became a superstar with the release of its third installment 20 years ago. The series’ popularity and infamy came from its outlandish violence and vulgarity.Grand Theft Autobeing at the top of the food chain gave ammunition to critics of the medium, but this in-turn made the games an even bigger part of gaming culture in the 2000s.
One thing Rockstar did with its signature series during the transition from the fifth generation of consoles to the sixth was adding voice actors. Voice acting in video games, no matter how hammy or cheesy. Considering the open-world nature ofGTAgames and their semi-realistic human characters, having an extensive cast of actors was the way to go. Oneinnovative part ofGrand Theft Auto 3is how it also utilized celebrity voice actors. While they had been a part of animated blockbusters for almost a decade, celebrities rarely appeared in video games. It took Rockstar to make people realize famous people could be hired on a project without taking away from a work, its universe, and its characters.Grand Theft Auto 3set the blueprint, and its successors followed.
RELATED:Grand Theft Auto Trilogy - Definitive Edition Owners on PC Can Claim a Free Game
Celebrity Voice Actors in GTA 3
One wayGrand Theft Auto 3paved the way for its contemporaries was through voice acting. Due to thegame’s protagonist Claude being silent, Rockstar could not take advantage of marketing a big name as its lead character. Still, the studio managed to overcome this issue by surroundingGrand Theft Auto 3’s silent protagonist with some characters unexpectedly voiced by famous people, and others voiced by people who fit their roles. This includes Robert Loggia as the paranoid and unethical cop Ray Manchowski, and Frank Vincent as Salvatore Leon.
Then there’s Kyle MacLachlan, known for work with David Lynch due to his lead roles inBlue VelvetandTwin Peaks. Dale Cooper, MacLachlan’s most famous role, was filled with quirks and had a deep mythology. Donald Love fromGTAis the complete opposite of Cooper; a depraved, cannibalistic, and hedonistic multimillionaire who focuses on the material rather than the spiritual. MacLachlan’s role inGrand Theft Autoshowed that Rockstar was competent enough to not solely rely on typecasting.
Celebrities in Vice City and San Andreas
The celebrity voice actors inGrand Theft Auto 3might have been perceived as a quirk at the time, but the release ofVice CityandSan Andreasproved doubters wrong. Similar to what happened to mainstream American animated movies after Robin Williams voiced the Genie inAladdin, celebrities having important voice roles inGrand Theft Autogames was the norm for the remainder of the 3D era.
Vice Citytook all ofGrand Theft Auto 3’s innovations and made them more polished, including the idea of casting celebrities. Unlike its predecessor, which took place in the era it was released in,Vice Citygoes back 17 years. It specifically aims to make a period piece, and as a result it takes influence from the late 80s and, to a lesser extent, early 90s culture in the city of Miami.
Unlike Claude,Tommy Vercettiis an individual character with his own defined motivations and neuroses, not just an avatar the player can project themselves onto. Fitting for his history as a ruthless mobster and the criminal themes ofVice City, Tommy is voiced by Ray Liotta, famous for playing Henry Hill inGoodfellas. Philip Michael Thomas, who played Ricardo Tubs in the 80s crime drama seriesMiami Vice, was cast as Tommy’s partner Lance Vance. Although Thomas may not be as well-known to contemporary audiences,Miami Vicewas one of Rockstar’s primary influences when developingVice City. Casting one of the stars from a show that inspired the game’s setting makes its status as a period piece that much more believable.
There are other celebrities who play characters inVice City, such as William Fichtner as Rosenberg, Danny Trejo as Umberto Robina, and Burt Reynolds as Avery Carrington, but the casting choice for Tommy and Lance is deeply integrated into Rockstar’s worldbuilding.San Andreasgoes even further with the idea of picking actors based on their characters’ socioeconomic background, such as castingYoung Maylay as CJ, but it also arguably started casting celebrities for the sake of it rather than for thematic reasons.
The most obvious example isOfficer Tenpennybeing played by Samuel L. Jackson. While Jackson’s performance is among the most beloved in theGrand Theft Autofanbase, his status likely played more of a role in Rockstar’s decision than him fitting the character. Jackson’s recognizable voice creates a form of cognitive dissonance. To some, Tenpenny is just Jackson. Unlike The Truth (played by Peter Fonda) or Mad Dogg (played by Ice T), Tenpenny is a major character inSan Andreas, and he is so tied to Jackson that it is sometimes hard to be truly immersed.
RELATED:Physical Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Only Allows Free Upgrade on Xbox, Not PlayStation
The HD Universe and Celebrities
By the time the 3D era was over, the idea of casting celebrities as main characters stopped being daring. While celebrities have stopped playing major roles in the series afterSan Andreas,Grand Theft Auto 4is when their guest appearances were segregated from the fictional universe.Grand Theft Auto 4had the highest number of celebrities playing themselves, including radio hosts and comedians like Ricky Gervais and Katt Williams.
Grand Theft Auto 5toned down the celebrity appearances, instead relying on parodies of certain stars like Solomon Richards being based on Mel Brooks. That being said, this game was Lazlow Jones’ physical debut, and a recentGrand Theft Auto Onlinestorystars Dr. Dre. Rockstar may not be as reliant on celebrity voice actors for its storytelling nowadays, but the practice of hiring notable talent is far from dead. Some people, like Steven Ogg and Lazlow himself, arguably became celebrities thanks to Rockstar.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S with mobile ports coming in 2022.
