There may have been a blast of culture shock for anyone lingering from the Voices of Disney panel at the Percheron Ballroom Saturday when the next event began at Calgary Expo. A child-filled audience had heard Jim Cummings and Bill Farmer talk about giving voice to beloved and wholesome characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Goofy and Tigger. An hour later, the same room was filled with video-game aficionados listening to Ned Luke, Shawn Fonteno and Calgary’s Steven Ogg in a panel called Kings of Crime, which featured the actors from the video game Grand Theft Auto V in a reunion filled with f-bombs and talk about smashing people’s skulls.
A Reunion of Iconic Characters
Luke set the tone a few minutes into the event. “There are a few empty seats out there, that pisses me the (expletive) right off,” joked Luke, who played Michael De Santa in the game, a retired bank robber who returns to a life of crime. It may be the only panel this year at Calgary Expo that came with a warning that content may not be appropriate for all ages. Occasionally, the actors seemed to be channeling the three playable anti-heroes they brought to life in GTA V, who are criminals with a penchant for violence and free-style cursing.
It’s probably safe to say that most of the Disney kids had vacated the Percheron at this point, since the audience seemed to be made up mostly of enthusiasts keen on doing a deep-dive into the popular, ground-breaking game. Released in 2013, GTA V revolved around three career criminals participating in elaborate heists in the fictional city of Los Santos. The game became one of the highest-grossing entertainment products of all time and was likely among the first video games to benefit from a rabid fan base eager to discuss it on social media.
Steven Ogg: The Id of the Game
Ogg, an Edmonton-born, Calgary-raised actor who would go on to play a number of roles in prestige television, including antagonists in Better Call Saul, Westworld, The Walking Dead and, most recently, the Canadian sci-fi show Revival, played Trevor Phillips. Trevor is an unhinged and ultra-violent redneck with a dark past who goes from robbing banks to gunrunning while maintaining his rage issues. It’s been nearly 13 years since the three actors became part of the ever-evolving culture of gaming.
“I think he’s a great character,” Ogg said. “I always thought he was the id of the game for a world where you can do anything. I think he represents that world.” Still, a running joke during the panel was that Ogg is considerably less knowledgeable about video-game culture, and GTA V in particular, than his co-stars. “It’s something I’m proud of, so I don’t get tired of talking about it,” he said. “We get to travel. We get to hang out together. I’m still learning, 12 years later, about the game. It seems I’m always getting closer to learning the game. Not necessarily playing it, but learning it.”
Fan Engagement and Game Details
The audience, on the other hand, was clearly interested in the nitty-gritty details of the game, asking obligatory fanboy questions about the hardest parts to shoot, favourite lines, favourite songs on the soundtrack and whether the actors would be willing to return as their characters as guest stars in future versions of the game. The panel provided a unique opportunity for fans to interact with the voices behind their favourite characters, highlighting the enduring popularity of Grand Theft Auto V more than a decade after its release.
