Asian actors and actresses may look too good for Hideo Kojima’s games, as the Death Stranding 2: On the Beach director has cited skin texture as one of the reasons he prefers to capture Western stars in his games.
Speaking with IGN Japan as part of an extended interview, the auteur was asked why he chooses to work with so many Western actors, like Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Elle Fanning.
He explained:
“It’s difficult to make Asians look like their real-life counterparts. Women and young people in particular have such beautiful, smooth skin. Asians, and not just Japanese people, are known for their beautiful, smooth skin, so it ends up looking like CG.”
Kojima is satisfied with the strides he’s been making, however, and hopes to do better in the future:
“It’s easier to bring out the details in older people or people with lots of freckles. I’ve tried to use Japanese people in the past, but it’s hard to make them look like their real-life counterparts. However, this time I used new technology, and I’m quite satisfied with the results. Well, I’d like to do even better next time.”
However, Deadpool star Shioli Kutsuna is a Japanese actress who appears in Death Stranding 2, and being bilingual she was able to voice her character in both English and Japanese:
“We record with other actors in a studio in Los Angeles, so it’s a bit of a problem if they don’t have native-level English skills. I searched for someone who could speak Japanese and also native-level English, but it was difficult. Kutsuna grew up in Australia, can speak English, and when I met her, I found her to be a nice person, so we decided to work together.”
Would you like to see more Japanese actors and actresses appear in future Kojima games, such as the upcoming Physint? Do you agree with the auteur’s insinuation that Asian skin may be too beautiful to accurately portray in games? Let us know in the comments section below.