Why RDR2’s Main Actor Had To Wear Boots To His Audition

It’s been two years since Red Dead Redemption 2 first released. As the PS4 and Xbox One generation of games are winding down, RDR2 is making many “Best Of” lists and being looked back on fondly. The open world Wild West epic was wonderfully acted, and one of those actors revealed in a recent interview that he had to wear cowboy boots to his audition.

The protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2 is Arthur Morgan. The game’s story follows the Van Der Linde gang prior to the events of Red Dead Redemption, and also shows how Morgan helped shape the future of Red Dead Redemption’s own protagonist, John Marston. In RDR2, Arthur Morgan is voiced by actor Roger Clark, who also performed motion capture for the character.

Red Dead Redemption 2 wasn’t Roger Clark’s first acting role for a video game, since he also voiced Sgt. Jack Griffin in Shellshocked 2: Blood Trails. However, playing Arthur Morgan marked the first leading role in a video game for Clark. In a recent interview with Game Rant, Clark revealed he was asked by Rockstar Games to wear cowboy boots to his Red Dead Redemption 2 audition. That may seem strange, but there was actually a good reason for it.

Why Roger Clark Wore Cowboy Boots To His RDR2 Audition

In the Game Rant interview, Roger Clark revealed Rockstar Games asked him to wear cowboy boots to his audition. This was for the second audition for Red Dead Redemption 2, after Clark had already auditioned for an “untitled video game project” early in 2013. By the end of 2013, Clark would have secured the role of Arthur Morgan – but first, he had to prove himself to Rockstar Games by wearing cowboy boots.

Clark says this was done to show “my walk, my gait” to Rockstar execs in New York. To prove he could fit the role of a cowboy, Clark had to show he could move like one. Apparently, Clark proved himself to the people at Rockstar, since he was given the role of Arthur Morgan in December of that same year. It’s an interesting choice for Rockstar Games to make, but it seems to have paid off for everyone involved, since Red Dead Redemption 2 was incredibly successful.

Clark’s story of wearing cowboy boots to his second audition is an interesting factoid from the early days of RDR2‘s production. Arthur Morgan is a character who sticks with players long after they’ve finished Red Dead Redemption 2. The memorable character, and certainly the game’s overall success, is due in part to Roger Clark’s fantastic performance in the lead role.

About The Author

Austin King
(1233 Articles Published)

Austin King is a Game Features Editor at Screen Rant. He’s the author of several books and hosts the Dragon Quest FM and JRPGs & Me podcasts. You can find him on Twitter @DragonQuaustin.

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