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Norman Reedus Describes Working With “Genius’ Genius” Hideo Kojima on ‘Death Stranding’

Norman Reedus isn't a big gamer. He says so himself, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about his upcoming project: Hideo Kojima's 'Death Stranding.' Here, Reedus discusses his role in the anticipated game, tells how he first met the famed game director and reveals details about the duo's...

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Reedus caught up with THR to discuss his role in the anticipated game, how he first met the famed game director, reveal details about the duo's original project together (the ill-fated Silent Hills survival horror game at Konami) and what it's like to work with a "genius’ genius": "If he ever did a movie or anything else I would be there in a heartbeat."

You were working with the other actors and Hideo onset?

Sometimes the other actors were there. A lot of times it was just me and Hideo. He would have a plastic baby doll on the ground and want me to cradle it and act like it’s dead. Then act like it’s alive. Then freak out because there’s handprints everywhere. You stand up and he goes, imagine there’s a thousand dead whales in front of you, and you’re like, 'What?!' His mind is on another level. He’s a genius’ genius. He and I got into a shorthand where he would look at me and he would point and frown and make a face and I would just go, yep, I got it. We sort of transcended the language barrier after a while. A lot of times a director will say, in this scene I think I should do it this way and they’ve rehearsed it in their head so much that when you throw something new at them they sort of short-circuit. There’s not room for interpretation. Hideo is the opposite. You’ll say, maybe I should do this, and he’ll say, yes! And then do this on top of that! He’s a collaborative mind. He wants to hear your input. If you don’t say anything, he’ll think there’s probably something wrong with you. He’s a lot of fun to work with. If he ever did a movie or anything else I would be there in a heartbeat.

Check the link for more.

 

[Hostile_18]

Will this be a 50%+ game or will this be the best game of all time? Stay tuned in 24 hours for the exciting season finale.

 

[V1LÆM]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

 

[H4ze]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

I for myself think he is a genius too. His games are always outstanding, always, something special and I am kinda hyped for Death Stranding, even if I don't get as hyped anymore as when I was younger

My opinion: Making games, that are something special even after 15+ hours is harder than making a movie.

 

[Belmonte]

Kojima haters reading the thread:

Yeah, the hype is getting a little bit out of hand.

 

[Anicho]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

The guy is a genius, his games have paved the way for so many that have come after them. I can't wait for his latest iteration and the new world he is creating I would love to get lost in it!

 

[GymWolf]

Making that sniper cunt half naked and with bitchy mannerism in mgs5 with the excuse of breathing from the skin was his most genius thing by far, fight me.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I also think the whales floating around is genius, especially with the device on Sam’s back that acts like a light. One thing I always liked about Dead Space was that Isaac Clarke was an engineer/janitor type. His role fit in very well with exploring some dead end situation.

 

[Nobody_Important]

Hideo Godjima has friends in many places.

 

[Roni]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

Wow, nice way of subtly shitting on games.

 

[CyberPanda]

He’s been inside of Kojima confirmed.

 

[Birdo]

I saw him this morning walking on water.

 

[infinitys_7th]

Kojima is one of the rare artists who can make games that are as interesting as they are mindlessly entertaining. He reminds me of John Carpenter.

Though I hope Death Stranding is not Ghosts of Mars.

 

[Insane Metal]

Dude sounds high as fuck, lol

 

[Zephir]

Kojima needs to team up with Yoko Taro and create the ultimate mindfuck plot

 

[sonomamashine]

Actors are like prostitutes, you just have to pay em to do whatever they are told, actually prostitutes have more flexibility.
at the end of the day he get paid why not praise him for future projects.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

I literally see no lies, just facts in that interview.

 

[MiguelItUp]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

Who hurt you? Was it Kojima? Have you contacted the authorities?
How about you let people have their opinions, and you have yours?

 

[kretos]

Kojima our lord and savior, deliver us and make us whole

 

[thelastword]

Kojima haters reading the thread:

Yeah, the hype is getting a little bit out of hand.

Indeed, must be sad to hate on a genius, which is what always happens throughout every century......Geniuses like Kojima with accomplished work and output, his style his mannerisms are all hated upon by a very brawly crowd...…..Such jealousy and venom at times......It cant be right to hate so much now can it?

Look at how people will dismiss, norman reedus….."oh he is a tool, he worked on the game" and they will dismiss 'frank miller and scorcese's remarks too".....Just to get at Kojima...……"I must show Kojima I hate his work".…...Meanwhile Kojima loses no sleep over such negatives, but instead loses sleep building the best game he can in DS...at this point in his career...

 

[sonomamashine]

You can't make everyone love the same individuals you love, maybe there are reasons into it (for dislikes), just saying...
Some people have reasons to love Hideo Kojima and some don't, gotta respect the opinion, debate the argument don't attack the person.
All that being said, im glad Konami saw thru his bullshit.

 

[Belmonte]

Indeed, must be sad to hate on a genius, which is what always happens throughout every century......Geniuses like Kojima with accomplished work and output, his style his mannerisms are all hated upon by a very brawly crowd...…..Such jealousy and venom at times......It cant be right to hate so much now can it?

Look at how people will dismiss, norman reedus….."oh he is a tool, he worked on the game" and they will dismiss 'frank miller and scorcese's remarks too".....Just to get at Kojima...……"I must show Kojima I hate his work".…...Meanwhile Kojima loses no sleep over such negatives, but instead loses sleep building the best game he can in DS...at this point in his career...

I'm a huge Kojima fan. Solid Snake for me is the ultimate action hero in any medium. And Kojima is a genious or at least a visionary.

That said, there are some understandable reasons for people to feel Kojima is overhyped. Like how many great stealth games, with a lot of cool mechanics and ideas were overshadow by Metal Gear, like Thief, Hitman and Splinter Cell. Don't get me wrong, Metal Gear is my favorite but some fans talk like Metal Gear is the only one that matters, which makes lot of people pissed. Thief deserves at least 10 times the praise it gets. I understand your pain, brian0057 !

It is not common that a game dev is so famous and hyped and this gets into people's nerves. IMO it is not that Kojima doesn't deserves the praise, I think the others deserves too. To me, Lord British and Tim Cain should be rockstars also.

And the techno-military-philosophy-anime-politics mix is not everyone's cup of tea and find too pretentious. I don't think so. To me,there are much more hits than miss.

But I agree with you that there are some very bad arguments against Death Stranding. Like criticizing using actors and the buzz around it. Actors makes sense to create the movie-like atmosphere of the game and for marketing purposes. And Kojima never forgot gameplay, even with his love for movies.

 

[GooseMan69]

really getting tired of this constant praise for that guy. he can make a decent game fair enough but would never call him a genius. i wish kojima would actually go make a movie so he wouldn't be making games. probably not talented enough to put a movie together so he has to stick to games.

I don’t get these people who act like film is some form of high art that is superior to every other art form. The vast majority of movies in theaters consist of remakes/reboots, super hero movies, slapstick comedy, or generic jump scare horror.

Honestly, I think it’s become stagnant and I find that it’s been surpassed by both games and tv in terms of creativity and innovation.

Also, I’d bet Kojima would have a way easier time making a movie than a film director would have trying to make a game.

 

[brian0057]

Thief deserves at least 10 times the praise it gets.

This.
A thousand times this.

 

[GrayChild]

 

[thelastword]

I'm a huge Kojima fan. Solid Snake for me is the ultimate action hero in any medium. And Kojima is a genious or at least a visionary.

That said, there are some understandable reasons for people to feel Kojima is overhyped. Like how many great stealth games, with a lot of cool mechanics and ideas were overshadow by Metal Gear, like Thief, Hitman and Splinter Cell. Don't get me wrong, Metal Gear is my favorite but some fans talk like Metal Gear is the only one that matters, which makes lot of people pissed. Thief deserves at least 10 times the praise it gets. I understand your pain, brian0057 !

It is not common that a game dev is so famous and hyped and this gets into people's nerves. IMO it is not that Kojima doesn't deserves the praise, I think the others deserves too. To me, Lord British and Tim Cain should be rockstars also.

And the techno-military-philosophy-anime-politics mix is not everyone's cup of tea and find too pretentious. I don't think so. To me,there are much more hits than miss.

But I agree with you that there are some very bad arguments against Death Stranding. Like criticizing using actors and the buzz around it. Actors makes sense to create the movie-like atmosphere of the game and for marketing purposes. And Kojima never forgot gameplay, even with his love for movies.

That's fair enough, but we really can't force people to accept, play and love a game franchise or developer......That is something that must remain to the fancy of the consumer......To say that other games in a genre deserve as much love maybe genuine from your experience of said games, but cannot be used as a litmust that others should feel the same...….I guess at the end of the day we must attest, that there is something extra in Kojima's work that appeals to a larger demographic, so that in itself is part of the genius and the appeal...…..

Having said that, I've heard lots of good things about thief, primarily the first two games, as for consistency it did not maintain it, the latest thief games were not that great and perhaps people really don't like the first person perspective for the genre all that much, all the lockpicking, the difficulty etc...I think Splinter Cell has been a good and highly praised series, I personally think MGS has much more personality, characters, better story, better boss-fights and more interesting mechanics, but Splinter Cell is a high quality series especially the first 3 games...…..Many persons played Hitman too, I played hitman on PC back in the day, but none of these games have the personality and story lines of MGS, you do not only love the gameplay in MGS, you love the characters, the dialogue, the story, the humor...….It's entertaining in most ways than not, surely, you can understand it's broader appeal....

Still I think Lord British has been praised immensely.....I remember watching documentaries about how much of a great mind Richard Garriot was/is, years ago too. Yet he is still making games, when he is not doing his space endeavors, so what's the quality like of his latest gaming projects like?......Kojima is still doing games and pretty much every game he has delivered has maintained a high quality standard and the standard which he started off with...…..Tim Cain of Fallout fame is great too, but it's not like these games are underappreciated...….How is fallout underappreciated, what's killing Fallout right now is Bethesda and the fact that they are not evolving or investing in the franchise or even newer franchises for that matter......No one had to tell Bethesda that their engine needed to go or their QA needed a burst of adrenaline.....Decisions are crucial to how you are perceived as well......

 

[Evilms]

 

[mejin]

Less than a day for the bloodbath.

 

[TheSadRanger]

It really annoys me that his early works aren't on this. Where is the first Metal Gear from NES and Policenauts , where is Snatcher

 

[sonomamashine]

It really annoys me that his early works aren't on this. Where is the first Metal Gear from NES and Policenauts , where is Snatcher

Oh waw you full in, dedicated.

 

[Iorv3th]

It really annoys me that his early works aren't on this. Where is the first Metal Gear from NES and Policenauts , where is Snatcher

Hey man don't forget Boktai.

 

[EverydayBeast]

These days Hideo is a director.