Few games have had as much of an influence on their genre, and indeed, the entire gaming industry at large as the Grand Theft Auto franchise. In today’s time, the series has become such a cultural mainstay that it has spawned innumerable clones, massive amounts of spin-off merchandise, and even kicked off a heated debate in mainstream media about the effects of video games on player’s minds.
Once you do play it, you quickly begin to realize why the series enjoys such massive popularity. It’s not just the gameplay mechanics, the open-world nature of the game, or the often-cartoonish levels of violence on display. All those things can be copied, and frequently have been. What sets GTA apart is the level of meticulous detail that goes into creating a world that feels like it could actually exist. GTA contains very few of the gaming world’s stock characters, the one-dimensional evil bosses mouthing one-liners and their army of faceless, interchangeable henchmen.
Instead, all the main character in the series are given distinct traits and a backstory that completes their personality so the player feels invested in their fate. One such character from Grand Theft Auto V is Trevor Philips. As though pulled from the script pages of a gritty crime drama, Philips proves that a video game protagonist can be an actual three-dimensional character with believable (and very dark) shades of grey. In celebration of the character, here are 15 surprising facts that you may not have known about Mr. Philips:
15 The Only Removable Tattoo
Tattoos are important facets of GTA character personalities. In some games of the series, they help boost stats, while at other times they merely serve to allow cosmetic customization of the character by players. In GTA V, Trevor is shown to sport a number of tattoos on his body, most of which are permanent. There is one tattoo, however, which can be removed. It spells out “R.I.P. Michael, 1965-2004, Brother”, and the player can choose to have it removed at any point.
There is a narrative reason for this choice. Trevor’s feelings towards Michael change drastically once it is revealed that Michael had been faking his death for years without telling him. This is considered a huge betrayal by Trevor, and the fact that he may choose to remove the tattoo points towards the fact that he no longer feels the same love for Michael as before.
14 Trevor Is Probably A Serial Assaulter
Of all the violence and depravity that we see Trevor engage in throughout the game, there is plenty left that is only hinted at. For instance, some parts of the narrative make it clear that Trevor’s penchant for these acts goes beyond simple financial gain.
Let’s start with a throwaway line that indicates Trevor once had a brother named Ryan who he did not get along with, and who consequently disappeared. Jumping forward in time, we get another line from Lester where he mentions he kept tabs on Trevor, following him “Where ever there were gas stations to rob and hitchhikers to disappear”.
We also get plenty of visual evidence of Trevor’s murderous hobby. One switch scene shows Trevor refiling a hole he had dug in the desert, while another shows him trying to shove a human foot down the toilet in his trailer.
13 He Goes Commando … WHERE!?
Different countries have different censorship laws when it comes to pop culture. The rules regarding male modesty are viewed differently in Europe. This is something that the makers of the game were aware of and decided to have fun with.
In the European version of the game, you have the option to switch to Trevor in the middle of the gameplay. Sometimes, when the switch occurs, Trevor is shown to be on top of a mountain watching the scenery. While there is nothing unusual about this activity, the fact that Trevor is wearing a dress while standing on the mountain adds a bizarrely amusing touch to the whole scene.
Additionally, the dress does not do a very good job of covering Trevor’s private parts. And that is how you discover that Trevor Philips prefers to go commando while climbing mountains!
12 He Is Scared Of One Thing
For all the aggression that Trevor displays in the game, there are instances where he shows fear as well. In one part of the story, Trevor encounters Barry, and the two proceed to ingest some powerful hallucinogens. While in the throes of the hallucinogen, Trevor has a vision of killer clowns coming to attack him. Reacting in fear and rage, he goes on a rampage against the clowns, only to wake up and realize he had been hallucinating.
Even waking up does not allay Trevor’s anxiety, and during the screaming and shouting that inevitably follows with Trevor yelling at Barry, it is made clear that clowns have a special ability to strike fear into Trevor’s heart. Part of the backstory for the character of Trevor reveals that he developed his fear of clowns early in his childhood, and that fear never left his psyche.
11 He HATES A Group Of People
In a classic case of irredeemable monsters having some redeemable qualities, Trevor exhibits some surprisingly progressive character traits. For instance, he berates the Minute Men and the LSPD for racist behavior.
He also has strong words of approbation for Wade when he makes insulting remarks about Ashley. Trevor has a distaste for what he perceives to be hypocritical behavior on the part of Micheal and his other teammates when they perform actions that are as violent as his while pretending to have some moral high ground.
All these instances prove that despite his ruthlessness, Trevor is aware of the difference between right and wrong, and holds no illusions about the depravity of his actions.
10 His Relationship With His Parents Was Deeply Messed Up
Obviously, an unhinged murderer like Trevor would not come from the most stable family. To begin with, Trevor’s father used to beat him all the time. The physical abuse was a regular part of young Trevor’s life until the day his father abandoned him in a mall.
His mother treated him little better, employing psychological abuse to keep her son in line. It is hinted that Trevor’s upbringing with an absent father and an overbearing mother who had a constant stream of “clients” visiting her bedroom led to Trevor developing an Oedipal complex.
If there is one person in the whole game whom Trevor fears, it is his mother. He avoids meeting her if possible, and can barely form a coherent sentence in her presence. Additionally, seeing her makes him regress into a child-like state of fear and confusion.
9 Shows Classic Signs of Intermittent Explosive Disorder
While a lot of the actions of Trevor within the game may appear completely random in the same way that the actions of the third type of player appear random, the truth is a lot of the things done by hot-headed Mr. Philips fall neatly under the category of a mental disorder known as Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
The condition reveals itself in the frequent episodes of impulsive behavior that Trevor has in which he goes on a rampage with no thought spared for what or who around him might get hurt. Also, a classic pattern of the disease deals with the patient reacting with extreme anger in a grossly disproportionate manner to a slight provocation. Finally, the violence that Trevor displays at regular intervals when he appears to completely lose all semblance of impulse control also point towards him suffering from the condition.
8 He’s Physically Attracted To So, So Many Things
GTA has never been shy about exploring their character’s physical attractions to other game characters. With Trevor, however, it’s not a question of who he is attracted to, but rather what isn’t he attracted to?
When the game starts, we get a scene where Trevor is shown to be having an affair with a woman. So far so good, and in keeping with previous GTA games. But throughout the rest of the game, Trevor makes several remarks to other men that make it seem as though he is hitting on them, and even claims to have had relations with men while in prison.
It doesn’t end there. From graphic scenes and chance remarks, we get a sense that Trevor has also had relations with animals, and even inanimate objects like the teddy bear prominently featured in the game called Mr. Raspberry Jam.
7 His Actor Did Some Disgusting Stuff
Who says only film and TV actors can make use of method acting to better their performance? Steven Ogg went to great lengths to add realism to his performance as Trevor Philip’s voice and motion capture artist.
There are many scenes in the game where Trevor is shown to be walking around in his underwear, in keeping with his character’s disregard for society’s prudish rules. While filming the motion capture for those scenes, Ogg decided to strip down to his underwear as well.
Ogg has insisted that his role in creating Trevor went beyond simply mouthing his lines. For three years he stayed in Trevor’s disturbing headspace, deciding how best to show his bewilderingly chaotic nature while providing motion capture. It was his commitment to becoming Trevor as completely as possible that led him to decide to perform sans underwear.
6 Trevor Philips Is Controversy’s Favorite Child
The GTA series has always pushed the envelope in terms of depicting aggressive tendencies and depravity in games. Yet, even amongst a roster of GTA characters famed for their intense nature, Trevor stands out as a particularly disturbing individual.
For many people, Trevor is the poster child for the worst kind of mindless attacks on display in today’s video games. He commits random acts of mayhem and enjoys it. His goal throughout the story seems to be causing destruction for its own sake, and the few moments of humanity that he exhibits are self-serving.
The media picked up on Trevor as the perfect showcase of the type of depravity that such games are believed to propagate. Many critics have pointed out that Trevor’s unbridled psychopathy and position as one of the game’s protagonists may lead to his being idolized by the game’s many children/young adult players.
5 Tom Hardy In Bronson Influenced Trevor’s Creation
The makers of GTA dug into a variety of influences from movies, songs and other games to create the world of Grand Theft Auto. One particularly strong GTA V influence comes from Oscar nominee Tom Hardy’s early film Bronson.
In Bronson, Hardy plays the titular real-life character with his customary gusto. The result is a film depicting the life of the most violent criminal in Britain’s history, who delights in causing chaos. Entire armies of guards are unable to stop Bronson’s rampage within the prison.
Steven Ogg, the actor who provided the voice and motion capture performance which brought Trevor to life, said Hardy’s performance as Bronson was a strong stylistic influence on his own interpretation of Trevor. Now you know that one of the most violent characters in video game history was directly inspired by one of the most violent real-life criminals in history.
4 Trevor Is Modelled After A Specific Player Type
Critics have been quick to point out that Trevor is the first GTA character who acts within the game in a similar manner to how players usually play GTA. Aside from the main storyline, players often spend hours driving aimlessly around the city, mowing down passengers, assaulting citizens, stealing money and generally behaving like extreme psychopaths. Trevor is the only character who’s in-game personality fits the behavior of such typical GTA players, like a match made in video game hell.
This was no accident. The makers of GTA have revealed that while designing the three protagonists of GTA V, they shaped their personalities to reflect the three types of individuals that studies show play GTA. Trevor was specifically based on the type of player who prefers to ignore missions in favor of driving around the city causing as much destruction as possible.
3 The Torture Mission Was Believed To Be Political Commentary
This was perhaps the most controversial aspect of Trevor’s storyline, and it had nothing to do with his personality. In the mission “By the Book”, Trevor has to torture a criminal to gain information for the FIB (in-game FBI). Trevor ends up using torture equipment on the suspect but muses once the mission is finished that the man was willing to talk without needing to be attacked. He finally concludes that using this method for interrogation is pointless, and nothing more than a power play.
This sequence was considered political commentary by the game’s makers on the use of torture techniques by the US government. Critics drew attention to GTA’s hypocrisy in using extreme violence to sell their own games while chastising the government for using extreme force. The torture mission itself was also considered highly unsuitable for younger audiences.
2 Random People Can Beat Up Trevor
It’s not just Trevor who can inflict damage on others. Turns out random people on the streets can give it back to him as well! With regular protagonists within a GTA game, pressing a button can make you exchange greetings with passer-bys. It’s another one of the little touches within the game that add to its realism.
With Trevor, the script gets flipped. Pressing right on the control pad while standing next to a passerby causes Trevor to make some remark. This being Trevor, what he has to say is never pleasant, and often takes the shape of an insult. This, in turn, causes the passerby to either run away or start fighting him. After hours of watching Trevor rampaging around the city without consequence, there is a certain satisfaction in coming across a citizen of the virtual city who stands up to him.
1 Trevor “Offs” A Former GTA Protagonist
Trevor’s introduction scene is carried out in a spectacularly brutal fashion. While having an affair with a woman in his trailer, Trevor is caught by the woman’s boyfriend, who he works with. Understandably livid, the boyfriend goes on a raging tirade against Trevor. After making an attempt to quieten him, Trevor finally snaps, ending the boyfriend’s life with a broken beer bottle. This action sets up the rest of the story that unfolds throughout GTA V.
The woman’s boyfriend was Johnny Klebitz. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the protagonist of a previous GTA game called The Lost and Damned. This is the only instance of a GTA protagonist killing another. For fans of the series who recognized Klebitz, his brutal moment was a sign that Trevor is something new to the franchise, who doesn’t play by the traditional rules.
