Jon Hamm nearly played Cole Phelps in LA Noire — got me thinking about GTA 6's cast
Stumbled on a Gamespot piece about LA Noire's casting. Apparently the writer, Daniel McMahon, told IGN that Jon Hamm was in the running for Cole Phelps. Same casting director as Mad Men, so it almost happened.
McMahon said Hamm was "discussed as a possibility" but they went with Aaron Staton instead. His reasoning: Staton nailed Phelps' fragility. "He's very smart, but he's also young, not very experienced, and he's just trying his best." Hamm would've been incredible, but expensive, and probably not as good a fit.
I can't picture anyone but Staton in that role now. The nervous energy, the way he'd crack under pressure — that's not Don Draper.
It's got me thinking about Rockstar's casting philosophy. They've always leaned toward lesser-known actors for leads. GTA 6 is no different — Lucia and Jason are played by fresh faces. No A-listers. And honestly, that's part of why their characters feel so grounded. You're not watching a movie star, you're just in the world.
But with the budget GTA 6 must have, they could afford a Hamm-level name if they wanted. Do you think Rockstar will ever pull that trigger for a protagonist, or is the anonymity part of the magic?
Source: GameSpot · Curated content.
its the same reason i dont run celebrity face presets on my rp chars. soon as you see jon hamm, youre not in leonida anymore. youre just watching jon hamm pretend to be a criminal. immersion shattered.
lucia and jason being total unknowns is actually huge for rp servers too. gives us a blank slate to project our own backstories onto. when the lead is too recognizable the whole thing turns into fanfic territory real quick.
rockstar gets it. the money is better spent on world density and systems. id way rather have deeper customization and more voice lines for my created character than one a-lister chewing up the budget.