Italian actor Luca Marinelli makes one hell of an impact throughout his time on screen in Death Stranding 2. As Hideo Kojima told us, he even left Sony staff shocked as well.
With Kojima’s status as one of gaming’s most popular creatives, there’s no denying he can throw his weight around and essentially work with anyone he wants to. Be it musicians or even film directors, very little stops him from scanning them into his projects and making them part of his worlds.
In a sense, it’s his way of sharing his passion with us. Showcasing the bits of media he’s a real fan of. And above all else, we know he certainly loves going to the movies.
In casting for Death Stranding 2, Kojima looked not just at mainstream Western celebrities, but around the globe for top talent he could work with. That’s how he found Luca Marinelli, while others, even those at Sony, were left stumped, questioning how he unearthed such a gem.
Luca Marinelli turned heads with Death Stranding 2 performance
Having now played through the full thing, I can vouch for Marinelli’s work. He delivers one of the finest performances in Death Stranding 2, bringing the character of Neil to life. The less you know going in, the better, but let’s just say there are plenty of layers to this particular role.
It’s a tricky one to bring to life, especially when visualized as one of Kojima’s past creations. “You say Snake, but he’s not. Why would you say Snake?” Kojima said with a laugh during a group interview Dexerto attended in Sydney.
As it turns out, despite boasting a stacked cast full of Hollywood A-listers, it wasn’t the big names that left employees reeling. Rather, it was Marinelli’s turn as Neil.
“I kind of wrote a comment when one of his movies came to Japan,” Kojima said after first watching Marinelli’s Italian films. “Luca found out, he contacted the publisher, and the publisher contacted me, saying Luca was playing my games since Metal Gear, ‘I’m so touched, thank you so much.’
“There was a pandemic in between, but I thought Neil’s role was so important. I needed someone who could top Mads [Mikkelsen] with Cliff. I thought Luca could do it, so I asked if he was interested.”
From there, they were off to the races, recording Neil’s scenes in an LA studio “owned by Sony.” His acting was “just so spectacular” that it turned heads across all disciplines.
“There’s so many people that I don’t know [in the studio]. 30-40 people, I don’t know what they’re doing. Norman [Reedus] comes in, they’re usually on their phones. I’m thinking, ‘Oh, you’re not interested.’
But then Luca started to perform, everyone put down their phones and concentrated. This actor is super, where did you find him?”
It’s not hard to see why everyone on the sound stage was so captivated by his acting, given the emotional weight of Neil’s scenes. It’s some of the most tear-jerking material in the sequel. Anytime Neil shows up on screen, you pay full attention.
It’s a commanding performance, and amusingly, one that even confused Marinelli at first.
“I showed [him] the bandana part,” Kojima continued, “I asked [him] what the reception was like from his friends and family. He replied, saying he’s so grateful to be Snake. I said you’re not Snake! You just have a bandana!”
たまごっちと一緒におみせやさんをお手伝い。『たまごっちのプチプチおみせっち おまちど～さま！ Nintendo Switch 2 Edition』が本日発売。さらにNintendo Switch版も同時発売。