Hideo Kojima has revealed that he cast Margaret Qualley as Mama in Death Stranding after being inspired by her performance in a Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo fragrance advertisement. Sharing the viral commercial on Twitter on April 25, Kojima stated, "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's performance is characterized by a unique choreography that includes shaking, grimacing, and spasmodic movements, culminating in her firing lasers from her fingers and struggling to control her limbs.
Qualley portrays Mama — Målingen — in Death Stranding, a key member of Bridges and one of the most innovative scientists in the United Cities of America. Alongside her twin sister Lockne, also played by Qualley, she developed the Chiral Network, a crucial communications system for Bridges that enables instant data transfer.
Fans reacted enthusiastically to Kojima's tweet, with one calling him "a visionary," and another humorously suggesting they should be hired too, citing similar morning routines.
Currently, Kojima is involved 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 a new PlayStation exclusive action espionage project.
