Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon 2, a “subathon” where he streams non-stop to garner as many Twitch subscribers as possible, has already become a massive cultural moment. Cenat reclaimed the world record for most subscribers on Twitch on Nov. 11 and the stream continues to go strong 14 days in. On Wednesday, Shawn Fonteno, the voice of Franklin from Grand Theft Auto 5, sat down to talk with Cenat and friends live. Fonteno’s appearance gave viewers an intimate look into the man behind one of gaming’s most iconic and beloved characters.
Franklin Clinton is one of three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto 5. In the game, Franklin embeds within various organized crime groups in an effort to make a name for himself and escape the hood. Over the course of the game, he commits theft, cons others, and has multiple close encounters with rival gangs as he embraces a life of crime in the fictional city of Los Santos. Fonteno told Cenat live on stream that he lived a similar life to Franklin before the game. According to an interview he did with Spectrum News 1, Fonteno fell into drug dealing at the age of 12 and was later shot multiple times.
“Rockstar did they thang when they picked us dawg, they picked the right people for this shit. […] My experiences is just like that dude Franklin, you know,” Fonteno said. “I’m just like him bro. I got bullet holes all in my body gang bangin and all that bro. I’ve been through some shit. So it was easy for me to be that character.”
Cenat also asked him questions about how he got the job and became the character. According to Fonteno, he had to interview at Rockstar for the job and didn’t really expect to get the role.
“It was a crazy ass quest. I had to pull up, and interview, with a bunch of dudes y’all ages,” Fonteno said. “So I was like, ‘Man I aint gonna get this shit.‘ But I guess they liked the voice and the persona and who I was, they called me back.”
As for what’s next, Fonteno wouldn’t say. He did say he has a great relationship with Rockstar Games, but didn’t comment on his involvement (or lack of thereof) with Grand Theft Auto 6. You can view the full video of the chat with Cenat on YouTube now, but know that the it contains the use of many expletives and racial slurs in a colloquial setting.
Fonteno’s appearance was just one of many surprises from Cenat’s stream. The content creator launched the event with a trailer featuring a cameo from Kim Kardashian of all people, and he livestreamed with Miranda Cosgrove (of iCarly fame), the DJ Marshmello, and even niche internet icons like Miles Morales NPC.
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