GTA 6 Officially Confirms Its First Voice Actor With A Beloved Hollywood Star

Few projects in pop culture history have been as secretive as "Grand Theft Auto 6," and that includes the cast. Sure, we thought we recognized some actors from the extended look, but it was all speculation. Well, not entirely — one character's voice was instantly familiar from the very first "GTA 6" trailer, leaving little doubt as to who was behind said voice. And that voice was none other than actor Stephen Root. While the character's name wasn't known at first, he's clearly a mentor to Jason, and presumably a source of various missions. From the moment Brian Heder, as we now know the new NPC, opened his mouth, everyone heard Root. It was one of the worst kept secrets about "GTA 6," but it still wasn't officially confirmed that Root was actually playing the character ... until now.

In a video released by the Associated Press to its Instagram account late Sunday night, Root was walking the red carpet for a pre-Emmys event. He was asked point blank about his involvement in "GTA 6," and other than a brief chuckle, he didn't even bother playing around. He came right out and said that people will see him in the game, and he recalled with amusement how everyone clocked his voice in the first "GTA 6" trailer. The replies to that video questioned whether Root was supposed to reveal that information, with some suggesting that he might be breaking an NDA by doing so. But others countered that a seasoned performer like Root wouldn't have made such a careless mistake if he had specifically been forbidden from doing so — with another person joking that perhaps Root simply isn't afraid of a little ol' NDA anyway.

Either way, he remains the sole revealed actor that will be appearing in "GTA 6" which releases  just over two months from now. And it's likely you've heard Root in many other places before this. 

Stephen Root is one of the most respected actors working today, with a career that spans decades, mediums, and genres. On the voice side, he's behind iconic characters like Dale from "King of the Hill" and Bud Gleeful from "Gravity Falls." On camera, he's appeared in comedies including "Office Space" and "Dodgeball."

But his resume gets even more relevant to "Grand Theft Auto 6" when you look at his more dramatic roles. He's played criminals and crime bosses in projects like "No Country for Old Men" and the HBO series "Barry," where he's proven he has the range to go into darker territory. He's also had a killer 2026. Root walked the previously-mentioned Emmys red carpet for "Widow's Bay," which swept the awards and earned him his first statuette. His character on that show is a world away from Brian Heder, which just further proves how versatile of an actor he is.