The voice of GTAIV's Roman is broke, rent him

by Richard Mitchell { May 27th 2008 at 1:45PM }

Those keeping up on Grand Theft Auto IV (that's all of you, right?) will remember that a few weeks ago Michael Hollick, best known as the voice of Niko Bellic in GTAIV, was covered by the New York Times in an article pointing out that the actor will receive no residuals or royalties of any kind for his performance. It's important to note that he doesn't point the finger at Rockstar but rather the Screen Actors Guild, which does not have specific rules regarding electronic performances.

While Hollick may have landed the New York Times, Jason Zumwalt, the voice of Niko's cousin Roman, has turned to YouTube. Where it could be argued that Hollick's approach to the matter had a certain degree of tact, Zumwalt's approach is a bit ... different. Essentially, he's asking gamers to "Rent Roman." It's all a little hard to explain. Maybe you should just watch the video. Find it after the break (NSFW thanks to some salty language).

[Thanks, Boff. Via 1UP]

Tags: grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-4, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta4, gtaiv, rockstar, take-two

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neuromancer @ May 27th 2008 1:50PM

I can't feel too bad for these guys, sure we all want to make more money but a contract is a contract.

Trekster_Gamer @ May 27th 2008 3:05PM

Agreed!

Jomolungma @ May 27th 2008 5:00PM

Maybe I'm just out of the loop on this, but aren't the voice actors on these games unionized? If so, while a union member may ultimately share some responsibility in what he gets paid, the real issue is the union's responsibility to stand up for these guys. I can definitely seeing crap like this boil over to a strike similar to the WGA's recent strike.

All that being said, it's the creative folks and the programmers that need to be making the dough on these things. Until they are making what they should, I'm not sure these voice actors should be making anything more than they already are.

ZeroCorpse @ May 27th 2008 8:14PM

The injustice here is that BIG NAME actors who do a voice-over gig get WAYYYYY more than these guys. A good chunk of the budget on Oblivion was for Patrick Stewart's paycheck, and he did what? Ten minutes' worth of vocal work? They could have used that big wad of cash to pay for a bunch of unknown voice-actors (and then everyone in Oblivion wouldn't sound identical) but nope-- Stewart got the big payday here.

That's why the folks at Rockstar were smart with GTA IV. They didn't NEED a big name to sell the game, and they didn't try to wedge Keanu Reeves or James Earl Jones in there at the cost of other development dollars.

But if someone gets residuals for a Geico commercial or announcing "COME ON DOWN!" on The Price Is Right, then video game actors should get a little of the backend of game sales. Not much-- Just a few cents per sale-- and it would make a huge difference without hurting the company's bottom line very much.

ZEBRA NINER @ May 27th 2008 1:52PM

Can you guys rent him for the fancast? Just to chime in randomly with random lines from GTA? Then, when addressing each one of you, he would always end with "my cousin". For example, "Reeechard, my cousin!".

Knight Marquise @ May 27th 2008 2:45PM

NO..NO...NO..

I want to hear about those "American Teeties" :)

Adam B @ May 27th 2008 2:59PM

YES! That would be amazing!

Jonah Falcon @ May 27th 2008 1:54PM

As a SAG actor, I can tell you that electronic rights are a major issue in the union.

SmokestormX @ May 27th 2008 1:55PM

I saw this over a week ago, prehaps i should of sent in a tip.

Link408 @ May 27th 2008 2:01PM

wow, i saw this a long while ago

Gemini Ace @ May 27th 2008 2:11PM

Next time negotiate a better contract, dumbass.

Sunny @ May 27th 2008 2:12PM

It's a joke. Get over it.

Sunny @ May 27th 2008 2:12PM

Yeah, not to be one of "those" guys that points this out but this has been floating around for about a month now...

adam @ May 27th 2008 2:17PM

I am so renting this guy this week if possible im calling the number now.Im gonna make him clean the shit stains from toilet 4 real and do beer runs while i drink the beer in front of him.

UNSCleric @ May 27th 2008 2:37PM

This is pathetic, so is Niko's voice guy.

Juice @ May 27th 2008 2:48PM

It's not pathetic. This game is gonna make billions. These guys should get more BUT,,,. they should have negotiated better contracts. But lets be honest they did use Ray Liotta in Vice City. Maybe that left a bad taste in their mouth. I dunno. At this point R* is in the drivers seat. Using no-name voice actors doesn't really matter to them. THere is always some desperate "good" voice actor ready to sell their soul. So this will probably never change.

mcwattersm @ May 27th 2008 2:49PM

Guys, the video isn't serious... you guys need to get out more.

Knight Marquise @ May 27th 2008 2:52PM

100% Agreement.

Knight Marquise @ May 27th 2008 2:59PM

Gotta love the comment system. That reply was for UNSCleric.

These guys are pathetic. It's called business, either get your own degree or hire someone to represent you. With all this whining, were I R*, I'd make damn sure I hired unknowns forever, or do it in house.

Critter3 @ May 27th 2008 3:22PM

LMAO. That was good! Obviously he's just trying to get his name out there for some more gigs, but IMO he did a pretty good job. Props to him for using Youtube as the medium.

c4v3man @ May 27th 2008 3:27PM

And what is it, exactly, that makes people believe that they deserve millions or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to voice a character in a video game. Heck, I'll do a weeks worth of recording for $1000. I say, let the free market work. It's not like no-one else could voice him. Be happy you don't have to have a real job.

And yes, I realize the video is a joke, however the sentiment of "we don't get paid enough" is not. Grow up.

GoBob @ May 27th 2008 3:40PM

Why do most of the people commenting on this not realize that this is a joke?

B-Mo @ May 27th 2008 4:00PM

Heh, I was just going to point that out. It was a joke, and an apology has already been issued due to the amounts of flaming the R* got from said joke, but it was all in good humor. Although the thought of renting roman to sit shotgun in my car talking about "BEEG AMERICAN TEETEES!" is somewhat relevant to my interests...

Grimm @ May 27th 2008 3:57PM

OMFG that's the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen. I like how he's like "I'll run some errands for ya, buy ya some cigarettes, if your underage I'll get you some booze." LMFAO. Wow I wish this was real I'd totally rent this dude lol. That's a funny fuckin dude...

mernmern @ May 27th 2008 4:01PM

He obviously likes getting the word out... ala the fake video premise. It would be cool to get him on the podcast and do some... you know, reporting. Heck, you might get a nice Roman intro out of the deal.

root @ May 27th 2008 4:25PM

when brucie is out of money - call me... :D

EMaster @ May 27th 2008 4:33PM

I would fucking rent Roman if he was willing to come to Canada lol. Great Video! Even if it was a Joke! I hope he makes more!

EMaster @ May 27th 2008 4:34PM

Notice there is a bit of likeness to him from Roman?

deltaloko @ May 27th 2008 4:46PM

it would me nice to have someone around the house =)

Peff @ May 27th 2008 4:43PM

thats good.

Magic Whiskey @ May 27th 2008 5:07PM

The bloody nose was a great touch:)

Bucfann @ May 27th 2008 5:23PM

Its a joke im sure, at least a little. But I dont feel sorry for any of these people. Wether it is electronic media, music, tv, or the movie industry, why the hell should I feel sorry for someone who pretends to be someone else or whatever for more money than Ill make in a couple years or even a lifetime in many cases?
IF I as a consumer, saw bigger breaks and savings come my way, perhaps Id feel different. But I dont, so screw em. Another reason why, I seldom pay for music anymore, I rarely go to the movies, Ill rent or borrow a game more often than buy it, etc. Actors, corporations, even atheletes are all so over paid at our expense. I dont even go to ball games anymore because Im sick of the greed. Screw all of em

monkeymonkeymonkey @ May 27th 2008 5:27PM

wow, way to go X3F. This is old. Yep, if something is 1 week or older, its old!!

lol

Odog4ever @ May 27th 2008 5:37PM

I heard about this a while ago while I was driving to work. I was interested in seeing the video but forgot about it do to more pressing matters.

So even though this is old X3F did a great service by posting this. For those who bitch about old news remember that there is always someone out there who hasn't heard the whole story yet. And in the end does it matter is every single post isn't breaking news? Who is keeping score? (besides you)

ZeroCorpse @ May 27th 2008 8:16PM

Well, not everybody is a sit-at-home loser who spends every waking moment on the Internet. . . Some of us have jobs, lives, and other people and things to do.

This is the first I've heard of this. It's funny, though.

monkeymonkeymonkey @ May 27th 2008 9:35PM

im keeping score:

monkeymonkeymonkey - 1
Odog4ever - 0
ZeroCorpse - 0

yokken @ May 27th 2008 11:03PM

i feel so bad for the guy. roman is a hilarious character and he has a voice to be desired. if the guy truly didn't get any money, rockstar should be ashamed. they could've at least given him like $100k.

Bones3D @ May 28th 2008 1:30AM

What's "moose stuff"?

scott @ May 28th 2008 2:09AM

don't forget about Ricky Gervais and Kat Williams in the game. I bet they got paid more than Roman did.

Boff @ May 28th 2008 6:26AM

Saw this the other day, good vid!!

I didn't believe he was the voice of Roman at first, until he did a few lines! Awesome!

Time to open the X3F petty cash tin and hire him for a fancast! You know it makes sense!!

CynicalStrike @ May 28th 2008 9:29AM

Funny video. Is it just me who sees the uncanny resemblance between him and Jack Nicholson?

Grant @ May 28th 2008 1:19PM

entertaining video, but isn't he kind of going against his cause(the royalties issue) by making a parody video about this whole situation?

Ryan de michigan @ May 30th 2008 2:37AM

If one thing is clear it's that like it or not, GTA is a game changer. Each game brings up new issues, and R*'s unapologetic stance means no one bending over and changing something because some one complained. Although it isn't the company out front demanding more dollars for voice actors, the actors have a great opportunity to get their voices heard. At 6 million copies sold, these low profile actors (and their low profile paychecks) are getting the kind of attention that could be the foundation for some real change in the industry.