After playing Franklin Clinton in 2013's Grand Theft Auto 5, actor Shawn Fonteno is reprising his role as the two-bit criminal turned entrepreneur in GTA Online. It's been roughly eight years since players last saw Franklin, leaving many to wonder what he and his band of misfits have been up to since running away with their newfound wealth. Although Franklin's new outing in GTA Online is a bit more legitimate, he's still getting up to trouble that rattles plenty of cages around Los Santos.
In the new update, The Contract, Franklin has opened up an agency that takes on celebrities' dirty laundry. In the update, the most prominent client is real-life rapper Dr. Dre. The famed west coast legend has had his phone stolen and it contains a lot of unreleased music, so it's up to Franklin and the player to recover it, hopefully making a name for the agency in the process. On top of giving the player exciting new missions, it also provides clarity on what Franklin and Chop's lives are like after distancing themselves from the chaotic events of GTA 5's main story.
Screen Rant got to briefly chat with Shawn Fonteno to learn more about what happened to Franklin after GTA 5's story, how he approached a matured Franklin, and what it was like to get to work alongside Dr. Dre.
What was it like coming back to Franklin after all these years? Did you think it would ever even happen?
Shawn Fonteno: I didn't, but honestly, I had a feeling. Rockstar moves in a crazy way, you can never count them out, they move in stealth mode. It was just like a sense of a small seed of faith that I knew something was going to happen, but I didn't know it would be like this. And I didn't know when.
What did you try to bring to this older version of Franklin?
Shawn Fonteno: I'm really happy with the older Franklin because of me being an older person. Remember, when I first played Franklin, I was in my forties. I was about 40, 41 or something like that and I had to portray a younger guy, [a] 20-something-year-old. Thank God I was able to do that, but now I get to lay back and be me a little bit.
Not to mention, [Franklin’s] a boss now with a beard and a few little gray speckles in there. It was more comfortable for me this time, knowing that I was playing an older character - a boss, don't get it wrong. It felt good that knowing that I finally get to call the shots, because [in GTAV] Franklin was getting the shots called to, he was told what to do.
Life has changed for Franklin, man. He's well off now, he's calling the shots and he has a family. He's got kids, man. That's crazy. But at the end of the day, he's still got his crazy ass counterpart, which is Lamar. So, life has changed, but life hasn't changed when it comes to him and Lamar.
Was the behind-the-scenes process of doing a non-protagonist in GTA Online different to your time playing a protagonist in GTA 5’s story?
Shawn Fonteno: Not being a protagonist in this was cool, I just went to do what I had to do to hopefully make another masterpiece, and I think we did that. I think Rockstar already put out another masterpiece and I'm glad to be a part of it.
I get to be me, like I said they make you comfortable and want you to be you. When I look at what Franklin's been through and who Franklin was, it's pretty similar to what I was. I didn't have parents and I grew up in the hood. The whole mission, the whole point is trying to get out the hood, so it was easy for me to fall into that character, they just let me be me.
So I gave my natural personality. Ned and Steven told me we're not just voice actors, we're performers, and I learned to just start performing and be me. I poured myself into Franklin and it worked out.
Was there any added excitement in not only returning to play the character again, but also working alongside Dr. Dre?
Shawn Fonteno: When I first found out I was working alongside Dr. Dre was when we got on set to shoot. It was overwhelming to know that I was going to be working alongside of this guy, man. It’s Dre, man! I come from the west coast, I'm an LA dude and [Dr. Dre] is a west coast legend. He's everything, man.
Anything he touches just turns to gold platinum, it just blows up. Me just being alongside him in this game, I just knew that on top of what we were already doing - what Rockstar already had planned, just multiplied it by adding Dre. That's Dre, everybody loves Dre! We all danced to his music, we all know who he is, he's a legend! When I found out I was just floored with it, I was very happy.
GTA Online is available as part of Grand Theft Auto 5 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.