Death Stranding is Hideo Kojima’s first independent project in years, and Sony was generous enough to help give the legendary auteur of video games a hand to find his footing in the larger video game industry. Each director has their unique approach to creating a film or game, Kojima is a more collaborative person in nature and even took the opinions and ideas of stuntmen like Justin Leeper into account.
Great leaders know when to listen to their subordinates, in this case, Leeper reveals he has contributed a significant amount of input for Death Stranding apart from the contributions he has made while wearing the motion capture suit. Kojima Productions may be following Hideo’s instincts but the director’s ears are also sharp.
Justin Leeper Recalls His Time Working On Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding
In a recent interview with Leeper, the stuntman reflects on his time working with Kojima and expressed the director’s hands-on nature as one of his better attributes as a person.
Kojima-san was an incredible director. Yes, he’s hands-on; but that’s because he’s the owner of the vision – a very important job for a creator, especially on big projects. And he’s someone who thinks of everything, which I truly respect. He still trusted us actors to make choices, like approving my idea in Deadman’s final scene of Death Stranding.
Leeper’s ideas have made it to the final cut of the game and the extent of it is unknown, it is still a humbling experience for a stunt performer like Leeper to be recognized for his creative choices. Hideo Kojima can inspire creativity out of others and was able to forge friendships across different industries as seen in his Connecting Worlds documentary.
The luxury of being in a position of high power is that a person can instill creativity and encouragement in others. Leeper was tackling the same vision Kojima had for Death Stranding and his collaborative nature has brought perhaps one of the most iconic and heart-wrenching performances ever filmed in a video game.
Death Stranding Gave Leeper His Opportunity To Impress Hideo Kojima
Even actors who are more prominent in the story of Death Stranding had a lot to say about Kojima’s directing approach. Mads Mikkelsen is a fan of his and felt he and his co-stars were in the right hands to deliver something extraordinary. The amount of trust and goodwill Kojima possesses is immeasurable.
When asked about future collaborations with the Japanese director in the sequel Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Leeper was noticeably absent from the credits list found on IMDb but the actor played coy and could potentially be leaving information out on purpose.
I’m currently living in the UK, which would complicate logistics quite a bit. Nothing to report yet, though with the way Japanese companies are very secretive about things, I couldn’t tell you if I was.
Perhaps he could be telling the truth, regardless, fans of the franchise will wait for a few more months for the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach next year. What are your thoughts on Leeper’s experience and Kojima’s method of direction? Let us know in the comments section below!
