“But I really wanted to put in an Asian character, and if I'm going to use an Asian actor, I wanted them to be Japanese because, well, um, I'm Japanese.”
Kojima explained how Shioli Kutsuna came to Death Stranding 2: he had known her since that Pocky TV commercial that he thinks all Japanese people know; he said making CG people of Asian appearance is very difficult, noting that the photorealistic rendering of black hair has been a long-standing problem in CG, but he wanted to include an Asian character and, if he was going to use an Asian actor, he wanted that actor to be Japanese because he himself is Japanese. He added that the motion‑capture sessions take place in Los Angeles, so the actors need to understand English and there are not many Japanese actors who do, and remembered Shioli, who had been active internationally since 2017–18 with Netflix and Deadpool. He watched all of her work and was confident she could take the role, also praising her eyes, and said he felt proud as a Japanese person to see her there, alone but secure and integrated with the team and cast, and that he now knows he was not wrong about her.
“I've known Shioli since she appeared in that Pocky TV commercial, and I think all Japanese people know it. […] the photorealistic expression of black hair is hard to do with CG, so I've struggled with that for a long time. […] the shooting sessions happen here in Los Angeles, so the actors need to be able to understand English. And there aren't many Japanese people like that. That's when I remember Shioli. […] I watched all of her works and I was confident she could take on the role. […] as a Japanese person, I was so proud to see Shioli there.”