IGN Japan asked Kojima why he chose to cast Kutsuna in the role, and why he puts few Japanese actors into his games, despite Kojima Productions being based in Tokyo.
"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," he said. "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."
Kojima went on to say he would like to cast more young Japanese actors in his games, but claimed there were technical challenges involved in scanning them into his games, compared to older or Western actors.
"It's difficult to make Asians look like their real-life counterparts," he said. "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."
He continued: "On the other hand, 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."
Kojima said he would like to continue working with Japanese actors, and even suggested he could set a game in Japan one day. To date, the vast majority of Kojima's games have been set outside of his home country.
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