Margaret Qualley Cast in Death Stranding After Viral Ad

Hideo Kojima has revealed that he cast Margaret Qualley as Mama in Death Stranding after seeing her in a Spike Jonze-directed fragrance commercial.

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

The commercial features Qualley dancing to a bass-heavy track, reminiscent of Fatboy Slim's viral "Weapon of Choice" video starring a nimble Christopher Walken.

In Kojima Productions' Death Stranding, Qualley portrays Bridges member Mama—also known as Målingen—one of the United Cities of America's top scientists renowned for her gadget inventions. Alongside her twin sister Lockne, also played by Qualley, she developed the Chiral Network, Bridges' communication system enabling instantaneous data transmission.

In the Kenzo fragrance advertisement, Qualley performs an unconventional but choreographed dance routine, shaking, grimacing, and occasionally spasming—at one point even shooting lasers from her fingers. Another segment shows her dancing while seemingly struggling to control her limbs. You can watch the full bizarre yet 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

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

Kojima is currently developing Death Stranding 2, set for release 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 is also working on an exclusive action-espionage project for PlayStation.