Hideo Kojima has revealed that he cast Margaret Qualley for the role of Mama in Death Stranding after being captivated by her performance in a Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo fragrance advertisement. On April 25, Kojima shared the viral commercial on Twitter, stating, "I saw this and offered her the role of Mama (Lockne) in Death Stranding."
The advertisement features Qualley dancing to a bass-heavy track reminiscent of Fat Boy Slim's iconic "Weapon of Choice" video, which starred Christopher Walken. In the Kenzo ad, Qualley executes a unique and choreographed dance, characterized by shakes, grimaces, and spasms, including a moment where she appears to fire lasers from her fingers. Her performance also includes segments where she dances while seemingly struggling to control her limbs. You can watch the full, bizarre, and highly entertaining performance below:
I saw this and offered her the role of Mama (Lockne) in Death Stranding. https://t.co/UDJa2NjbO6
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) April 25, 2025
In Death Stranding, Qualley portrays Mama, also known as Målingen, a brilliant scientist within the United Cities of America. Alongside her twin sister Lockne, whom she also plays, Mama is instrumental in developing the Chiral Network, a crucial communications system for Bridges that enables instant data transfer.
Fans on social media were quick to react to Kojima's tweet. One fan praised, "You are a visionary, Kojima-san," while another humorously remarked, "I do this most mornings, Kojima-san. Hire me too."
Currently, Hideo Kojima is busy with multiple projects. Death Stranding 2 is set to release on June 26, 2025. Additionally, he is working on a live-action Death Stranding film in collaboration with A24, and OD, an Xbox-published game described by Kojima as "a game I have always wanted to make." He is also developing a PlayStation exclusive action espionage project.
