Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and GTA 5 were released almost a decade apart, with San Andreas making its debut in 2004, while the newest game in the franchise was released in 2013. Still, despite the gap between the two highly successful games, it turns out their protagonists have an unlikely connection.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, gamers play as Carl “CJ” Johnson, who returns to his hometown after his mother’s murder. While back home, he goes back to his old ways when he reunites with the Grove Street Families gang while also seeking answers to his mother’s untimely death. GTA 5, on the other hand, features three main protagonists – Franklin Clinton, Michael de Santa, and Trevor Phillips. Franklin seeks riches after coming from an impoverished background, and when he crosses paths with Michael de Santa, things begin falling into place for him.
Even though the plots of both Grand Theft Auto games may seem wildly different, considering they focus on completely different characters, there is a connection between the games, besides the fact that they both belong to the Grand Theft Auto franchise and take place partially in the fictional city of Los Santos. This other connection between the two GTA games has to do with the voice actors that portray the protagonists.
Franklin's GTAV Actor Is CJ's Real-Life Cousin
The voice actors who portray CJ and Franklin in the two games have a real-life connection. Shawn Fonteno is the voice behind GTA 5’s Franklin. The voice actor/recording artist, who also doubles as a DJ and actor, was nominated for a 2014 Behind The Voice Actors Award for Best Vocal Ensemble for his portrayal of Franklin. But what’s perhaps even cooler is that he’s the cousin of the voice actor who played CJ, Christopher Bellard, who was credited by his stage name Young Malay in GTA: San Andreas. Young Malay is also a rapper, record producer, and actor. Both Malay and Fonteno are based in L.A. and have dabbled in other screen work.
Interestingly, Fonteno also had a small part in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas when he provided the voice to one of the Grove Street Families members. He’s credited under his rap name Solo. This may suggest that future installments in the franchise may reuse voice actors from previous GTA games. There’s no word on when or if Grand Theft Auto 6 will release, but some rumors have suggested the game may bring back a familiar protagonist for nostalgia’s sake. Given that there’s a precedence for voice actors to appear in multiple Grand Theft Auto games, as was the case with Fonteno, familiar voices may be brought back, which could possibly include Fonteno or Malay once again.