Summary

  • Kojima chose Margaret Qualley for Death Stranding after seeing her performance in a Spike Jonze fragrance ad.
  • The perfume ad is eccentric, featuring Qualley performing a wide range of movements and expressions.

Acclaimed director Hideo Kojima has recently revealed that he cast Margaret Qualley in the role of Mama in Death Stranding after seeing her in an eye-catching Spike Jonze fragrance advertisement. Mama is one of the most emotionally complex characters in Death Stranding’s genre-defying open-world action game, and Kojima felt she was a good fit for the role after watching this particular perfume ad.

Death Stranding is one of Kojima’s most ambitious projects, offering a unique and experimental journey that moves away from traditional video game genres, true to his style. The story follows Sam Porter Bridges, a courier tasked with reconnecting isolated cities through a network in a fractured society within a post-apocalyptic future, where the world is far different from today. Like many other Kojima games, Death Stranding delves into deep subjects and themes like life, death, and human connection, always posing a social critique and introducing mechanics that bring something fresh to the medium. Characters play a crucial role in advancing the complex story, and Kojima has now revealed why he chose Margaret Qualley for one of the roles.

death stranding hideo kojima
‘Unbelievable And Strange’ Hideo Kojima Says On Live-Action Death Stranding Movie

Hideo Kojima shared his thoughts about the live-action adaptation of his video game, Death Stranding.

By 

Hideo Kojima posted on Twitter a Spike Jonze fragrance advertisement featuring Margaret Qualley and shared that he decided to cast her as Death Stranding's Mama after seeing it. The video is quite eccentric, showing the famous actress performing all kinds of strange movements and expressions for over two minutes nonstop. She screams, dances, jumps, and performs a choreographed routine, showcasing her skill set, impressive body control, and range of movements. Kojima didn’t elaborate on why exactly this video led him to cast her, though it’s certainly a striking performance.

Kojima Cast Qualley as Mama in Death Stranding After Watching Her in a Perfume Ad

Many players flooded Kojima’s post to praise Margaret Qualley’s performance and celebrate Kojima’s casting choice. In the game, Mama is a scientist specializing in Chiral Network technology, playing an important role in helping Sam Porter Bridges reconnect America, with a story packed with themes of motherhood and grief. Mama has a twin sister named Lockne, whose narrative arc also connects to Mama’s. It’s still unclear whether either Mama or Lockne will return in the highly anticipated Death Stranding 2.

While Death Stranding 2 will launch in just two months (June 26), bringing Sam Porter Bridges along with new cast members, Death Stranding 1 continues to be a success. Recently, the game surpassed 20 million players across various platforms, achieving an impressive milestone for the game's player base and demonstrating Death Stranding's enduring appeal.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Death Stranding Tag Page Cover Art
4 /10

Death Stranding
Display card tags widget
Action
Display card system widget
Systems
phone transparent PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 79%
Display card main info widget
Released
November 8, 2019
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
Developer(s)
Kojima Productions
Publisher(s)
Sony, 505 Games
Engine
Decima
Cross-Platform Play
Yes! Players will share the same server as Steam and Epic users
Cross Save
yes
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Genre(s)
Action