“There are very few actors like that nowadays but I see that potential in Norman which is why I didn't give him any lines.”
Kojima explained why the first Death Stranding teaser has no dialogue: the movie stars he admired as a child were Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson, the kind of people who could become heroes simply by standing there and without saying anything. He said there are very few actors like that today, but he saw that potential in Norman and therefore gave him no lines. He challenged himself to create a teaser using only Norman's standing figure and facial expressions, a challenge he says he could only overcome thanks to him.
“the movie stars I looked up to as a kid were Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson, and they were the type of people who could become heroes just by standing there. They don't even have to say anything. […] I challenged myself to create a teaser using only Norman's standing figure and facial expressions.”