“In MGS5, Snake isn't really Snake, and Ocelot becomes kind of like the storyteller. And this was really difficult and playing the part of Ocelot was risky, but Troy did an amazing job, so I'm really grateful.”
Kojima explained the assignment he gave to Troy Baker in MGSV and why he wanted him later in Death Stranding. He said Ocelot starts out as an antagonist, the villain of the first Metal Gear, but he begins to change and shifts more toward Snake; in MGS5, Snake isn’t really Snake and Ocelot becomes kind of a storyteller. Playing Ocelot was really difficult and risky, but Troy did an amazing job and Kojima is grateful. He also gave two reasons for casting Baker in Death Stranding: Troy is a great guy and great to work with, and because they were going to have actors like Norman and Léa who had no experience in games, Kojima thought Troy, as a veteran of the field, would help the other actors feel at ease and create a comfortable set, which was part of the reason he offered him the role.
“Ocelot starts out as an antagonist, the villain, in the first Metal Gear. But he starts to change. He shifts more towards Snake. […] Plus, we were going to have actors like Norman and Leia who didn't have any experience doing games. So I thought that Troy, who is a veteran in this field, would be able to help other actors feel at ease and create a comfortable set for them. That was part of the reason I offered him the role.”