Shawn Fonteno and Slink Johnson, GTA 5’s Franklin and Lamar, star in a real-life recreation of a cutscene that recently reached meme status.
A recent Grand Theft Auto V meme reached its pinnacle after being re-created in real life by the original actors. Grand Theft Auto V, about to enter its 8th year of existence and 3rd console cycle, is one of the most popular and long-lasting games in history, thanks largely to its constantly evolving multiplayer component, GTA Online. The most recent meme to dominate the internet and modding forums comes from its single-player campaign, centered on a popular cutscene where Franklin, one of the game’s three playable characters, gets roasted by his friend and literal partner in crime Lamar.
The scene, well-liked by the community for the incredible stream of expletives and insults from fan-favorite character Lamar which leaves Franklin dumbfounded, was recently the subject of an explosion of mods and memes that replaced Lamar with different characters from pop culture or replicated the scene in the style of other games or shows, similar to the treatment of the “Steamed Hams” scene from The Simpsons. The cutscene, which occurs early in the campaign, is a great showcase of the game’s infectious writing and memorable characters that made the game top the charts seven years after its release.
Via the PlayStation Haven YouTube channel, a real-life recreation of the cutscene has been made featuring Shawn Fonteno and Gerald “Slink” Johnson, the actors for Franklin and Lamar respectively. The level of detail is astounding: the actors are dressed as their characters, the location matches Franklin’s in-game house, and every animation and shot is accurate to the cutscene. The video is set in Los Angeles, the obvious real-world counterpart to Grand Theft Auto V‘s Los Santos for added authenticity.
Fonteno’s connection to the Grand Theft Auto franchise runs deeper than most fans may realize. The actor/rapper had a part to play in San Andreas, and is a cousin of Young Malay, voice actor for protagonist CJ Johnson. It makes sense that he would join in on the internet craze and put in the effort to make sure the video is as true to the game as possible, a feat accomplished admirably. Despite a lack of big single-player DLC that Rockstar used to be known for, Johnson has also managed to stay in the spotlight as Lamar is a prominent character in GTA Online.
GTA Online has absorbed most of Rockstar’s development time, being one of its most profitable video game projects to date. Still, many GTA fans miss the lack of new single-player content, as evidenced by the sudden popularity of Lamar’s roast. With the online’s latest update not blowing everyone out of the water, and fresh rumors about a possible female protagonist for the next installment, calls for new single-player content might only be amplified once the meme blows over. Either way, it’s great to see these two actors contribute even more to the Grand Theft Auto V community.
Source: PlayStation Haven
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