Hideo Kojima has revealed that he was inspired to cast Margaret Qualley as Mama in Death Stranding after watching her in a Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo fragrance advertisement. Kojima shared the viral commercial on his Twitter account on April 25, 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 famously starred Christopher Walken. In the Kenzo ad, Qualley's performance includes a unique choreography where she shakes, grimaces, and even appears to spasm, at one point shooting lasers from her fingers. The dance also shows her struggling to control her movements, creating an intriguing and captivating visual experience.
In *Death Stranding*, Qualley portrays Mama, or Målingen, a brilliant scientist and inventor in the United Cities of America. Alongside her twin sister Lockne, also played by Qualley, they developed the Chiral Network, a revolutionary communications system crucial for Bridges, facilitating instant data transfer across the game's world.You can watch the full, bizarre, and highly entertaining Kenzo fragrance advertisement 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
Fans on social media responded enthusiastically to Kojima's revelation. One fan praised, "You are a visionary, Kojima-san," while another humorously remarked, "I do this most mornings, Kojima-san. Hire me too."
Currently, Kojima is immersed in multiple projects, including Death Stranding 2, set to release on June 26, 2025, a live-action Death Stranding film in collaboration with A24, the Xbox-published game OD, which Kojima describes as "a game I have always wanted to make," and an action espionage project exclusive to PlayStation.
