Robert Bogue, the actor behind Grand Theft Auto 5's FIB agent Steve Haines, has revealed that he auditioned for over 60 roles in Grand Theft Auto 6 but received no offers from Rockstar Games. Bogue shared his experience in direct messages with a fan on Instagram, detailing his enthusiasm for working on the highly anticipated sequel and his subsequent disappointment.
"I'm a little bit down on Rockstar right now," Bogue stated, citing his positive past experiences with the developer. "I so badly wanted to work on GTA 6. I must've auditioned for over 60 characters. Some were big, some were small. I didn't care. I just wanted to be in it. I didn't get any of them, and they never called me about any of them."
The actor expressed frustration at not receiving any official rejections, suggesting a potential internal policy at Rockstar regarding the reuse of actors. "I feel like someone who's in love with a girl and then she just dumped me," he analogized. Bogue also clarified that he has no inside knowledge of the game beyond publicly available information.
Bogue has a history with Rockstar, having voiced Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver, Troy in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, and Steve Haines in Grand Theft Auto 5. Rockstar has previously brought back actors for different roles, such as Ned Luke, who voiced Michael De Santa in GTA 5 and had a minor role in Red Dead Redemption 2 before his lines were reportedly cut. It is possible that Rockstar felt Bogue was not the right fit for any of the available roles in GTA 6 or that his prior performance might be too recognizable.
Historically, actor compensation for Rockstar titles has occasionally been a point of contention. Michael Hollick, the voice of Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto 4, publicly stated he felt underpaid, receiving $100,000 for 15 months of work. This dispute is speculated to be why Niko did not appear in GTA 5, unlike other characters such as Packie, Michelle/Karen, and Brucie.
Ray Liotta also commented on the perceived subpar pay for his role in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City compared to his film work. However, relationships between Rockstar and its voice actors appear to have improved in recent years, with actors like Roger Clark, Ned Luke, and Shawn Fonteno speaking positively about their experiences. Fonteno, for example, has stated that Rockstar has treated him well, even without residual payments. Both he and Luke have reprised their GTA 5 roles in Grand Theft Auto Online updates, indicating continued opportunities within the franchise.