Hideo Kojima Cast Margaret Qualley in Death Stranding After Seeing Her Dance in This Wonderfully Bizarre Perfume Ad

Hideo Kojima has revealed he cast Margaret Qualley for the role of Death Stranding‘s Mama after seeing her in a Spike Jonez fragrance advertisement.

Sharing the viral commercial in a tweet earlier today, April 25, Kojima wrote: “I saw this and offered her the role of Mama (Lockne) in Death Stranding.”

The advert shows Qualley dancing to a bassy dance track, much like Fat Boy Slim’s viral video for Weapon of Choice, which starred a twinkled-toed Christopher Walken.

Qualley plays Bridges member Mama — Målingen — in Kojima Productions‘ Death Stranding, one of the greatest, gadget-inventing scientists working in the United Cities of America. With her twin sister, Lockne, also played by Qualley, she also created the Chiral Network, Bridges’ communications network which allows for instantaneous data transfer.

In the Kenzo fragrance advertisement, Qualley performs an unusual but choreographed dance routine wherein she shakes, grimaces, and occasionally spasms, at one point firing lasers from her fingers. In another segment of the unusual performance, she dances as she struggles to control her limbs. You can watch the full, bizarre, and incredibly 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

“You are a visionary, Kojima-san,” replied one fan, while another quipped: “I do this most mornings, Kojima-san. Hire me too.”

Kojima is working on Death Stranding 2, which is out on June 26, 2025, the live-action Death Stranding film with A24, and the Xbox-published OD, which he describes as “a game I have always wanted to make.” He’s also working on a PlayStation exclusive action espionage project.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.