Stefanie Joosten

Talented and intriguing Dutch model, actor, and singer Stefanie Joosten has found her greatest success in Japan. She first gained fame there when she was cast as the facial and motion capture for Quiet in Metal Gear Solid V, a 2015 Konami video game that sold millions of copies on its day of release, cleaned up at awards ceremonies around the world, and became one of the year’s biggest gaming successes. She did the same for 2019 online action game Spacelords.

Japan and its culture have always been a source of fascination for Joosten, who was born over 9,000 kilometres away in the city of Roermond, Lindburg. Fluent in English as well as Dutch she, like many of her generation, became fascinated with the Japanese otaku culture of anime and manga at a young age. This interest led her to take part in a student exchange program whilst studying at Leiden University in 2009. After graduating, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a modelling career, having made contacts with modelling agencies during her previous trip.

In 2014, Joosten made her television debut, performing in a Japanese show for the Dutch market; she also appeared in several adverts, bringing her to the attention of a mystery agent who called her to audition for a top-secret new gaming project. Whilst at the audition, Jooster – a huge gaming fan – recognised Hideo Kojima, the legendary game developer, signifying that she was potentially involved in something big. That something big was Metal Gear Solid V, part of one of the most iconic franchises in gaming history. The game has proved Joosten’s ticket to everything from feature films to modelling work to further gaming roles.