Hideo Kojima revealed that he cast Margaret Qualley as 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 pulsating dance track reminiscent of Fat Boy Slim's iconic "Weapon of Choice" video, which famously showcased Christopher Walken's dance moves. In the Kenzo ad, Qualley executes an unusual yet choreographed dance, characterized by shaking, grimacing, and spasmodic movements, including a segment where she appears to fire lasers from her fingers and another where she dances while seemingly struggling to control her limbs. You can view the full, quirky, 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 plays the character Mama — Målingen — a brilliant scientist from the United Cities of America who, alongside her twin sister Lockne (also portrayed by Qualley), developed the Chiral Network, a critical communications system for the organization Bridges.
Fans reacted enthusiastically to Kojima's tweet. One fan praised him as a visionary, while another humorously remarked: "I do this most mornings, Kojima-san. Hire me too."
Currently, Kojima is engaged in multiple projects. Death Stranding 2 is set to release on June 26, 2025. He is also collaborating on a live-action Death Stranding film with A24 and working on OD, an Xbox-published game that Kojima describes as "a game I have always wanted to make." Additionally, he is developing a new PlayStation-exclusive action espionage project.
