Norman Reedus took a photo of Kojima in the cafeteria on the set of “The Walking Dead.” The photo also appears in Reedus’s photography book; Kojima said he still had some muscle back then.
“A photo Norman took of me in the cafeteria on the set of “The Walking Dead.” It’s also featured in Norman’s photography book. I still had some muscle back then. 💪”
“And Norman plays Daryl, a character that doesn't exist in the original story. And in the end, he became the main character.”
“When I had just started my own studio and had nothing, I pitched the DS project to Norman at a sushi restaurant and asked him if he would like to do it with me. He instantly said yes even though I didn't even have a script.”
“I first met Hideo when Guillermo del Toro called me and said, 'Hey, there's a guy who's going to call you and wants to do a video game with you. Just say yes.' I said, 'Who is he?' And he said, 'Trust me, just say yes.'”
“With Norman, since we’re working with him, of course we’re going to handle with care how he looks, down to every baby hair.”
For Death Stranding 2, Kojima wanted Sam (played by Norman Reedus) to have his hair and beard grow in real time, with the player shaving or cutting them at a mirror; he discarded the idea, among other reasons, because he did not want to harm a superstar like Reedus.