“Inside that room, it's not really Sam, it's basically Norman.”
Kojima revealed the secret of Death Stranding’s private room: most people know Norman only from his roles, but the ordinary Norman has his own charm — a playful, endearing personality — and Kojima wanted to incorporate that into the game. That is why the private room scene exists: inside that room the character is not really Sam but basically Norman. He said implementing both sides of Norman was only possible because it is a game and could not have been achieved in a film. Norman Reedus corroborated the method on the episode: between takes he would yawn or scratch his neck and Kojima would ask him to repeat those actions, and Reedus began to understand that such small real-person behaviors make the player feel more connected.
“there's a charm to regular Norman, like his playful and cute personality. So, I wanted to incorporate these elements into the game. That's where the private room scene comes into play. […] I was able to implement both sides of Norman in a way that was only made possible because it's a game.”