Norman Reedus on Working with Hideo Kojima: “I Don’t Think Anybody Can Understand Where His Head’s At”

If you’ve ever played Death Stranding and felt like your brain was melting into the black sludge of its ghostly antagonists, rest assured, you’re not alone. Even Norman Reedus, who plays lead character Sam Porter Bridges, is still trying to wrap his head around what exactly is going on in Hideo Kojima’s mind.

In a recent interview with IGN, Reedus admitted that the mysterious world Kojima crafted left him pretty bewildered, both on set and off. He said:

“As far as working with him [Hideo Kojima] and understanding where his head's at, I don't think anybody can understand where his head's at – he's just that guy, he's out there, and he's got great ideas.”

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The original Death Stranding was packed with cryptic imagery, floating death ghosts, black goo, psychic babies in tanks, and entire stretches of delivery hiking simulator madness, all of which somehow managed to mean something… even if most of us still aren’t sure what.

The game inspired both awe and confusion, and apparently, that vibe extended to the cast too.

That said, Reedus seems a bit more grounded heading into Death Stranding 2. According to him, the sequel's storyline feels more coherent this time around.

“Story-wise, I did know what was happening more. There’s more action in it. There’s more of a definite goal to get to. It’s always a trip working on those things. It’s great, but it’s wild.”

So while Death Stranding 2 slowly takes shape and the A24 adaptation brews in the background, one thing remains clear, nobody really knows what’s going on inside Kojima’s head.