Thanks to Rockstar’s incredible dedication to detail, most Red Dead Redemption 2 players have experienced weird and interesting moments at camp. These moments are just part of the reason the game feels so ahead of its time. One of the best camp residents is the matriarch, Susan Grimshaw.
It is clear from the get-go that she’s in charge of the camp by the way she assigns bedrooms to all the gruff and scary men in the gang. She and Pearson take care of the camp and the gang members, becoming the de facto mum and dad to all the outlaws. Dutch is definitely the eccentric uncle everyone loves, but we all know who’s really in charge. Here are some things you may not have known about Miss Grimshaw.
10 Kaili Vernoff Brought Susan To Life
Kaili Vernoff is the talented actor who brought the brilliant Miss Grimshaw to life. Vernoff had never performed in a video game before and in a Forbes interview said she had no idea how the process worked. She found the process more freeing than acting for the stage or film, as the amount of cameras used in motion capture performance allow for a full and unobstructed 360-degree performance. Vernoff has since gone on to be the voice of Miranda Cowen in GTA V, let’s hope she does more performance acting in future.
9 She Is The Favorite Character Of Pearson’s Actor, Jim Santangeli
In a convention panel that can be watched here, Jim Santangeli, the actor who plays camp cook Pearson, states his favorite character is his colleague Susan Grimshaw. This shouldn’t be a surprise to fans of the game.
While Miss Grimshaw initially appears stern and unwelcoming, she is caring and loyal to all members of the Van der Linde gang. Often seen around camp dishing out tough love, most players grow to love her themselves by the end of their playthrough. Not all of the game’s unliked characters or features redeem themselves, however.
8 She Will Chastise Arthur For Being Bad, Selfish, And Lazy
Susan lives by a code that everyone must earn their keep and she isn’t afraid to enforce that code. Players going for completionist playthroughs or just enjoying the various activities camp has to offer will find themselves being scolded by Miss Grimshaw if they don’t leave camp for a while. Saving up to be able to afford a new gun or horse and so avoiding the donation box? She’ll notice that too. Killing innocent people will also not go over well with Susan, showing she really is good at heart.
7 Susan Will Bathe Arthur If He Won’t Do It Himself
Susan says the boys in the gang would rot in their own filth if she didn’t step in, and she is not wrong. Get Arthur too dirty and she’ll force him to wash himself off in a barrel in camp. Luckily this doesn’t result in a weird glitch that has been reported while bathing at a hotel.
This scene made Vernoff realize game director Rod Edge was the finest director she’d ever worked with, claiming the way he handled the nuance of the scene really allowed the sibling-like bond between Susan and Arthur to shine through.
6 Doesn’t Interact With Sadie Adler
In the game’s first mission, Sadie Adler is rescued from a bunch of outlaws, ones more cruel than the Van der Linde gang. She is devastated at the loss of her home and husband, but over the course of the game turns into the most badass gunslinger imaginable. If like us, you want more Sadie in your life, here’s how to track her down in Red Dead Online.
What is odd is that Susan never really interacts with her in camp. This might be because she knows her tough love isn’t appropriate for a grieving woman, or perhaps she senses Sadie needs to heal by herself. Either way, it’s odd that the two arguably strongest women in the gang don’t share much screen-time. While not perfect, Sadie is certainly one of the game’s best characters.
5 Used To Be A Painted Lady
Many of the members of the gang have had a tough past that they’re trying to run away from. Well, at one point it is revealed that Miss Grimshaw used to be a painted lady.
Given how infrequently people wash in the game, it can’t have been a pleasant job. It may explain both why she is so loyal to the gang that helped her leave that life behind and why she is so strict about everyone earning their keep.
4 Susan Was One Of The First Gang Members
Everyone knows that Dutch and Hosea founded the gang when the pair tried to con each other. They teamed up to take on the world together and soon took in a young Arthur Morgan. It was around this time that Dutch also became involved with Susan. She has been with the gang since it’s earliest days and has earned the respect of even it’s toughest members. Travelling the country with an outlaw gang has definitely taught Miss Grimshaw a few tricks, such as how to be handy with a shotgun, her signature weapon.
3 She Is Very Tough On The Girls
Susan can easily hold her own against the men of Dutch’s band of outlaws. She is toughest on the women, however. Perhaps this is due to her past, which presumably had a harsh madam in it, or maybe it’s just to prepare the girls for the patriarchal society they had to survive in.
In a land where people take what they want and kill who they disagree with, everyone needed to be tough and it seems Susan took it upon herself to mentor the ladies of the Van der Linde gang.
2 Her Voice Still Keeps In Touch With The Gang
Actor Kaili Vernoff says that everyone on set got along incredibly well. So well, in fact, that she and several other actors talk almost daily. It’s the characters she was toughest on, Tilly, Mary Beth, and Karen who she still talks to regularly, proving that she wasn’t as tough in real life at least. It’s important to remember that the actors, as much as their job is to convince you otherwise, are not the characters they portray. Something a lot of people need to realize.
1 She Really Will Make The Girls Do Anything
Although Susan does care for everyone in the gang, she seems to believe the only way she can continue caring for them is if the gang continues to function. To this end, it is strongly implied she tries to convince Abigail Roberts, John Marston’s soon-to-be wife, that she should start prostituting herself. The two can be seen arguing in camp, with Susan telling Abigail they all have to “sing for their supper.” Abigail responds that “singing is fine, but I’m done with that.”
