For all the fame and accolades that comes with it, lending your voice and likeness to a game like Grand Theft Auto 5 isn't always all sunshines and rainbows. The infamy and trolling that comes with the territory can take its toll on the real people behind the virtual personas: just ask Steven Ogg, who for years has been accused by fans for hating his character in GTA 5, Trevor Philips. As it turns out, this is far from the truth, and he's finally setting the record straight.
In a candid conversation on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast, Ogg addressed these misconceptions head-on.
"Everyone was saying 'Oh he hates being called Trevor' and it's probably because I said to someone that my name's not Trevor," Ogg explained. He went on to clarify that his occasional frustration with being addressed as the character was misconstrued as hatred for the role itself (even though he just recently suggested that Rockstar Games should consider bringing Trevor back early in Grand Theft Auto 6 only to kill him off).
The actor emphasized that nothing could be further from the truth. "He's a great character, he's awesome," Ogg stated emphatically, putting to rest years of speculation. He even shared that he continues to attend conventions with his GTA 5 co-stars Ned Luke and Shawn Fonteno, who voiced Michael De Santa and Franklin Clinton respectively, highlighting the camaraderie and fondness that still exists among the cast.
While the role catapulted Ogg into the spotlight and opened doors to other high-profile projects like "The Walking Dead" and "Better Call Saul," it also meant that he would forever remain associated with the foul-mouthed, unpredictable criminal from Los Santos. Viewed from this perspective, it becomes easier to sympathize with voice actors who want nothing to do with their former roles. However, this doesn't appear to be the case with Steven at all.
With that said, it's curious that Steven and Ned appeared in podcasts within the same week. With Take-Two Interactive expected to reveal its future plans during the February 6 earnings call, their recent guestings do lend weight to theories that some big announcement is happening within the next couple of days. Of course, Grand Theft Auto fans have had their hopes raised and crushed so many times already that it's best to avoid celebrating anything unless it's outright confirmed.
For now, it's better to bet on any incoming announcement from Rockstar to be related to Grand Theft Auto V: Expanded and Enhanced, which it already confirmed is getting a PC release late last year. The latest leaked survey hints that it's coming sooner rather than later. Besides, as former Rockstar North lead Obbe Vermeij put it, there's no competition (unlike what EA and Microsoft thinks), so there's really no reason to reveal more info about GTA 6 at all unless they're absolutely certain about all the finer details.
