If you grew up playing GTA San Andreas, you probably spent years believing that Rockstar Games had modeled Carl Johnson after Young Maylay.
After all, in games like GTA 5, we know that Franklin, Michael, and Trevor look just like their voice actors. But in the conversation I had with Maylay, he put an end to that story.
Difference between GTA San Andreas and GTA 5
One of the biggest sources of confusion for fans stems from technological advancements. Maylay was very clear in explaining that the process in 2004 with GTA San Andreas was very different from what we saw in 2013 with GTA 5.
You can check out my full interview with Young Maylay in the player below:
He explained that, in the most recent game, the characters are faithful copies of the actors, but with him it was different: "When they made GTA 5, that’s the appearance and voice of those guys… When I arrived at Rockstar and started doing the voice acting, CJ already had that look."
Before Young Maylay was hired for GTA San Andreas, CJ was already a done deal!
What caught my attention the most was discovering that, when Maylay was hired, CJ was already CJ. He didn’t serve as a model for the design. “He was already wearing blue jeans and a white tank top when I first saw him.”
Although he wore those motion-capture suits covered in dots, which he describes as “tight wetsuits,” the focus was on body movement, not the face.
Maylay makes a point of giving credit where credit is due: "I can't take credit for that, man. That was Rockstar. They didn't model CJ to look like me. I just lent my voice to CJ."
GTA San Andreas’ graphics were cutting-edge for the time
While clarifying that he didn’t lend his features, Maylay recalled with nostalgia the visual impact the game had upon release. For him, what Rockstar did was revolutionary: “Back then—we’re talking 2004—that was the best. They were the best graphics in the world at that moment.”
It’s incredible to think that, even without modern facial capture technology, the connection between Maylay’s voice and Rockstar’s 3D model was so perfect that it convinced the whole world they were the same person for two decades.
Check it out on YouTube: Exclusive: Interview with Young Maylay, the actor who played Carl Johnson (CJ) in GTA San Andreas
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