Tony Todd improvised farewell ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ scene

The director of Final Destination: Bloodlines have revealed that Tony Todd improvised his final lines in the film, his last performance before passing away in November 2024, aged 69.

• READ MORE: ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ review

Todd played the character of William Bloodworth, a mortician with expert knowledge of Death, in all but one of the Final Destination films. Bloodlines was his final screen appearance, with the actor suffering from terminal stomach cancer while filming. In the scene, an ailing Bloodworth provides information to the characters, who are trying to outrun Death itself.

He ends with an emotional speech, saying: “I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when…Good luck”.

Speaking to Metro, co-director Adam Stein recalled: “He was sick, even at the time that we were writing and starting to shoot this movie, and we didn’t know if he would be able to participate. But Tony was very clear that he needed to be in this movie, and we better not write him out”.

Recalling the shoot, he said: “He was so excited when he got there. He was just so full of joy, he loved working with the rest of the cast, he loved bringing Bludworth back after so many years. But at the same time, his mortality, his situation, was hanging over everything”.

He continued: “In that moment where he’s saying goodbye to the characters in the scene, we asked him to put away the script and to just speak from the heart about what all this has meant. What is life all about? What does death mean? (We said) ‘Talk from your heart, Tony, to the audience. What do you want to what do you want to leave your fans with?’”

Stein then revealed: “The take that’s in the movie is him speaking impromptu and really sharing his thoughts on life. I think that’s why it’s so emotionally impactful”.

The film is on course to become one of the most successful in the franchise, with a record $51Million (£38Million) opening in the US, and 92 per cent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the best reviewed film in the series.

NME’s four star review described the film as “a glorious comeback” and “a deliriously daft celebration of all the silliness that made the franchise so much fun in the first place”.

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