First Look at an Undead Haley Joel Osment in FX's WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Season 2
Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) has joined the cast of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows series, and today we have our first look at the undead character named Topher. During a recent interview with EW, series creator Jemaine Clement talked about casting Osment in the role and how much he surprised everyone how funny he was:
“We have a lot of great guest stars on the show this season. Fans will see Haley Joel Osment in the premiere. Everyone fell in love with him! He’s a really talented actor, obviously. And we had no idea how funny he is. He only appears in one episode but it’s a huge character change. He gets to play on the other more scarier side.
“He came in for an audition and we were surprised to see him. He’s a fan of the show and the movie and he was keen to be on Shadows, so he put his name up for it. He did a great audition.”
It’s explained that Topher’s arrival in the series is met with much fanfare from the vampires, but not everyone is excited about the new familiar. Osment says:
“Topher is instantly a hit with everyone, except Guillermo [Harvey Guillén]. He’s a threat to his position in the house. The vampires don’t treat Guillermo well, and here comes Topher with so many qualities they admire. This creates a lot of tension.
“The house is a dangerous place and some things happen to him. Luckily, the vampires don’t care and they still keep him around, even if he’s a limb short.”
Series co-showrunner and executive producer Paul Simms offered a little more insight into who Topher is saying:
“The vampires love Topher so much that even if he were to have an accident and die, they would not give up on wanting him as their familiar — even if he’s not physically what he was when he arrived at the house. Nadja and Laszlo haven’t had much luck with picking familiars. So when they finally find this young guy Topher, they’re so excited. He’s the new guy, and to them, seems so much cooler and hipper than Guillermo.”
Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo in the series, went on to explain that even though Topher comes in and causes a little chaos, don’t underestimate what his character is capable of in Season2:
“The vampires and their love for Topher is being rubbed in Guillermo’s face, all while he’s secretly protecting them from danger. A thankless job, obviously. But as the season progresses, Guillermo finally listens to what is driving him inside and really kicks some ass. I dare anyone to underestimate Guillermo because he’s ready!”
While Topher is only going to appear in the first episode, there’s a good chance we will see more of him down the road. Osment says:
“On this show, I don’t know what it would really take for someone to be out of the ball game completely. I definitely don’t think it’s the last time we’ve seen Topher. I don’t know a lot about the other episodes in the season, but I do know that the supernatural world gets really expanded. Fans will see a lot more of the creatures and things that live in the underworld of Staten Island.”
The first season of this series was so great and so funny and I’m excited for what Season 2 is going to deliver. What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 arrives on FX on April 15th.