Margaret Qualley Joins Death Stranding After Starring in Unique Perfume Ad

Hideo Kojima has revealed that he was inspired to cast Margaret Qualley as Mama in Death Stranding after seeing her performance in a Spike Jonze-directed fragrance advertisement for Kenzo.

In a tweet shared on April 25, Kojima expressed his admiration for the commercial, 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 Death Stranding, Qualley portrays Mama, also known as Målingen, a brilliant scientist within the Bridges organization in the United Cities of America. Alongside her twin sister Lockne, whom she also plays, Mama is instrumental in developing the Chiral Network, a revolutionary communications system enabling instant data transfer across the game's world.

The Kenzo fragrance ad showcases Qualley's unique dance routine, characterized by shaking, grimacing, and spasmodic movements, including a striking moment where she fires lasers from her fingers. The performance captures a sense of struggle and control, making it both bizarre and captivating. You can watch the full 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 were quick to react to Kojima's revelation. One fan praised him, saying, "You are a visionary, Kojima-san," while another humorously added, "I do this most mornings, Kojima-san. Hire me too."

Currently, Kojima is busy with 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 OD, which he describes as a game he's always wanted to create, and a PlayStation-exclusive action espionage project.