Hideo Kojima explains why few Japanese actors appear in his games
The designer cites a language barrier, and alleged difficulty recreating Asian skin
Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima has attempted to explain why he uses few Japanese actors in his games, citing challenges including the language barrier and an alleged difficulty in authentically recreating Asian skin tones.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was released for PS5 this week and, like its predecessor, its cast is predominantly made up of Western actors, including Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Elle Fanning. The main cast does include one Japanese actor, however: Shioli Kutsuna, who plays the character Rainy.
IGN Japan asked Kojima why he chose to cast Kutsuna in the role, and why he puts few Japanese actors into his games, despite Kojima Productions being based in Tokyo.
“We record with other actors in a studio in Los Angeles, so it’s a bit of a problem if they don’t have native-level English skills,” he said. “I searched for someone who could speak Japanese and also native-level English, but it was difficult. Kutsuna grew up in Australia, can speak English, and when I met her, I found her to be a nice person, so we decided to work together.”
Kojima went on to say he would like to cast more young Japanese actors in his games, but claimed there were technical challenges involved in scanning them into his games, compared to older or Western actors.
“It’s difficult to make Asians look like their real-life counterparts,” he said. “Women and young people in particular have such beautiful, smooth skin. Asians, and not just Japanese people, are known for their beautiful, smooth skin, so it ends up looking like CG.”
He continued: “On the other hand, it’s easier to bring out the details in older people or people with lots of freckles. I’ve tried to use Japanese people in the past, but it’s hard to make them look like their real-life counterparts. However, this time I used new technology, and I’m quite satisfied with the results. Well, I’d like to do even better next time.”
Kojima said he would like to continue working with Japanese actors, and even suggested he could set a game in Japan one day. To date, the vast majority of Kojima’s games have been set outside of his home country.
VGC’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review calls it “an all-time great sequel” and one of Kojima’s best.
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an epic, big budget sequel to Kojima’s controversial cult classic,” we wrote. “It offers a better story, an excellent cast of characters, and beautiful world to reconnect.”
