Who plays Topher in What We Do in the Shadows? Everything to know about the actor

What We Do in the Shadows returns with its sixth and final season on FX and Hulu. The first three episodes of the horror comedy mockumentary premiered on Monday, October 21, 2024, with subsequent episodes set to be released every Monday.

Scoring 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, the series follows four vampire housemates living on Staten Island as they go through adventures and misadventures of being undead. The cast features Kayvan Novak, Harvey Guillen, Natasha Demetriou, and Matt Berry, along with an impressive roster of guest stars, including Haley Joel Osment, who plays Topher. He became undead in What We Do in the Shadows, joining as a guest cast in season 2.

While Osment's character hasn't appeared in the three-episode premiere of What We Do in the Shadows season 6, his appearance in the season 5 finale sets the stage for a potential return in season 6.

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Exploring Haley Joel Osment's Topher in What We Do in the Shadows

Haley Joel Osment first joined the cast of What We Do in the Shadows as a guest star in the season 2 premiere, titled Resurrection, in 2020, and later returned for the season 5 finale, titled Exit Interview. He plays Topher Delmonico, who dies but is later brought back to life. He was a human servant, aka familiar, of vampires Laszlo (played by Matt Berry) and Nadja (played by Nastasia Demetriou) before he died from electrocution.

After his death, he is taken to a necromancer who resurrects him for a $350 fee. However, when he comes back to life, Topher isn't the charming and industrious self. Instead, he becomes a zombie who runs around the vampire house, eats insects and birds, and tries to kill Guillermo (played by Harvey Guillen), who is another familiar.

Throughout his mission to kill Guillermo, Topher engages in an intense yet funny fight scene that leaves Osment's character stabbed with a wooden stake, falling off a balcony, and losing an arm. In revenge, Topher tries to drown Guillermo in the koi pond, but Nandor (played by Kayvan Novak) sees him and tries to break his neck to kill him, but Topher remains undead. After that, the vampires realize he is now a zombie and bring him back to the necromancer for a refund.

The What We Do in the Shadows season 5 finale revives Topher's character as he finds himself in the basement with other zombies whom the necromancer messed up with his spells. From being a mindless, drooling zombie, he returns to his old personality and tells the other zombies that they will return to their old identities as well, although the process takes time.

The season 5 finale sees Topher embracing the life of the undead and giving hope to others like him. His successful return to his old self could mean that there's more waiting for him in the vampiric world.

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Haley Joel Osment's career beyond What We Do in the Shadows

Outside of What We Do in the Shadows, Haley Joel Osment has made a name for himself in both television and films. One of his notable performances was in M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, where he played Cole Sear. The role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He's worked in over 100 titles like Blink Twice, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Pay It Forward, and Secondhand Lions. He also played Forrest Junior in the 1994 classic Forrest Gump, Slow Joey in Comedy Bang! Bang!, and Shelby Mellman in Alpha House. Additionally, he impersonated Senator J.D. Vance in Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Moreover, Osment voiced numerous characters on TV, including Garbage in Dogs in Space, Dr. Stu Camillo in Future Man, and Bizzsaw in Dragons: The Nine Realms.

Osment will also be joining the Wednesday season 2 cast, which is slated to release in 2025.

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Catch Haley Joel Osment in What We Do in the Shadows. Season 6 is now streaming on Hulu, and previous seasons can be watched via Hulu and Disney+.