Interview: Stefanie Joosten | Quiet - Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

With 2015 coming to a close and looking back at all the amazing games released this year one in particular stands out from the rest, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. This extraordinary adventure concludes the long-running Metal Gear franchise on a high note. While Punished “Venom” Snake steals most of the spotlight it’s the gifted assassin Quiet that stole the hearts of many gamers. Played, and modeled, by the talented Stefanie Joosten, Quiet has become massively popular among the gaming community.

Adam: Quiet is one of the most highlighted characters in Metal Gear Solid V, using her body language and actions, instead of words, to convey her motives. How did the developers come up with this character?

Stefanie Joosten: I think they came up with the character of Quiet because language is such an important theme in Metal Gear Solid V. The way Quiet is misunderstood by the other characters at first, but then gradually gains their trust is symbolic of how the problem of differences in language can be overcome.

Adam: What did you love about Quiet? Were there specifics that you enjoyed about the character? Were certain aspects you felt could've been improved?

Stefanie Joosten: I really appreciated the character as a whole. I think the great thing about her is that she is misunderstood even by the players of the game at first sight, but if you really get into her story you can see she is a complex and developing character. I loved how strong she is. Not just physically, she also showed a lot of determination in her actions.

Adam: You’re Quiet, body and voice. Before this, did you have any prior experience with video game development or the Metal Gear games?

Stefanie Joosten: No, I have never been involved in the production of a video game before. But I have played the Metal Gear games, among many other video games.

Adam: Was the process of choreographing her entire performance difficult? Were there moments that you enjoyed more than others?

Stefanie Joosten: There were definitely moments that were very challenging, especially when it came to actions that require military skills. That is why Kojima Productions provided me with military training sessions. I had a lot to learn about firearms, especially since I had never held a gun before in my life. It was a lot of fun to learn about these things. Once I got the hang of it I really enjoyed doing the action scenes.

Adam: One of Quiet’s notorious additions has to be her humming, which you also voiced. Did you choose to include this and why this tune?

Stefanie Joosten: Yes, it was included as a way for Quiet to communicate. The humming tune is based on Quiet’s theme song, which was composed by Akihiro Honda, who was involved in making the soundtrack for the game.

Adam: Were any more changes made from the original design, aside from Quiet’s outfit, which the community wouldn't know about? Did she have different characteristics before she was finalized?

Stefanie Joosten: I was shown artwork of Quiet right before we started working on the motion capture, which was in a very early stage of development of the game. In that artwork she looked basically exactly the way she looks in the final game, so nothing has really changed as far as I know.

Adam: Did you aid in the development of Quiet? From her early concept artwork it seems that she changed drastically physically, but what about her personality? Has she always been distinct and stoic?

Stefanie Joosten: I am not sure what changes you mean, but you might have seen really artwork that was drawn before her design was finalized. The character designs are original and completely made up by Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa, so actors working on the game don’t really have any influence on it. Her personality was also written mostly as stoic and professional from the beginning, although she gradually opens up throughout the story.

Adam: Quiet never officially joined Diamond Dogs but continued to support the organization despite being seen as a monster, and enemy agent, by many of soldiers. How would you describe Quiet’s relationship with Big Boss and the Diamond Dogs?

Stefanie Joosten: Quiet develops a deep admiration for Big Boss throughout the game. This makes her change her mind about her original goals and even maybe her stance in life. Spending time on mother base definitely had a great impact on her.

Adam: Did you get to work with Hideo Kojima and Kiefer Sutherland? If so, were there moments that stuck out while working with them?

Stefanie Joosten: Unfortunately I have not worked with Kiefer Sutherland directly, since the facial capture sessions were done separately for each actor. I did get to work with Hideo Kojima a lot. Especially the motion capture sessions were very memorable. Kojima-san was there for all sessions and personally directed the motion capture for all cutscenes in the game. He is very passionate about his work and a lot of fun to work with!

Adam: It’s become widespread knowledge that The Phantom Pain was supposed to have a third chapter, called Kingdom of the Flies. If the game continued in development, would Quiet have played a part in that final chapter?

Stefanie Joosten: I was not involved in that part of the story, so as far as I know, Quiet is not in it.

Adam: What were the best and worst experiences working on The Phantom Pain? Any funny stories you’re willing to share?

Stefanie Joosten: I really don’t have any bad experiences working on MGSV, everything has been a great learning experience and a lot of fun. Doing some of the cutscenes that can be found as easter eggs in the game was funny. Having a birthday party for Big Boss on mother base for instance was pretty hilarious.

Adam: After experiencing the world of video game development with Metal Gear, do you intend to continue working in this industry? Do you have any other projects you’re working on that you would like to share? I’m sure your fans would love to hear about them.

Stefanie Joosten: I don’t have any confirmed upcoming video game projects yet, but it is definitely an industry I would love to continue working in! For now I am still doing modeling work in Japan as well, and in the meantime working on developing myself more as an actress.

Thank you very much for having me for the interview!

A big thanks to Stefanie Joosten for taking the time to talk with us. Special thanks to Jay Boor, Paolo Sirio, Kenny Dallas and Mutsumi Takahashi for helping us conducting this review. We look forward to hearing about Stefanie's upcoming projects and wish her continued success. 

Keep up with Stefanie Joosten by following her on Twitter!

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
Twitter | YouTube | Facebook