The six-film Final Destination series hasn’t exactly been a launchpad for new acting talent. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the numerous young actors who have bravely faced the perils of death’s scheme over the last 25 years; it’s just that few have gone on to have illustrious careers, even as horror genre staples.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who appeared in the third film, is one standout; Devon Sawa, from the first film, is another, although his stellar performance in Final Destination didn’t quite lead to a thriving career as a leading man. Fortunately, he has now found a niche in the horror genre, displaying a broad range in his portrayal of different characters in three seasons of Chucky. Seann William Scott featured in the original movie, but he had already risen to fame with American Pie the previous year. Ali Larter, his co-star, has fared reasonably well, and A.J. Cook from the second movie has reportedly enjoyed a prolonged career in CBS dramas. As for others like Michael Landes, Haley Webb, Nicholas D’Agosto, Katrina VanDerveer, and Ryan Merriman—they are active in the industry but not widely recognized. You might even question which of these five actors are real.

It’s somewhat surprising, then, that Final Destination Bloodlines, the latest installment, captures a notable scene due to one actor. I don’t immediately associate the late Tony Todd as a “Final Destination actor” when considering if any of them achieved greater fame, partly because he was already known from the horror classic Candyman, and because Todd, though featuring in most of the movies, usually remains detached from the main action. He portrays a mortician in the first film, giving a brief rundown of the mysterious force seemingly tracking plane crash survivors; his eerie aura and recognizable presence led some viewers to speculate that his character, William Bludworth, could be Death itself or some form of earthly representative.

Bludworth pops up again in Final Destination 2, and Todd’s voice is heard briefly in the third movie. He sits out the fourth, then shows up again in the fifth (which makes particular sense given the eventual reveal of that film’s timeline), imparting wisdom about death’s design and offering hints on how the heroes might be able to work around it. (They never really work.) Recurring characters are not really a thing with this series, so Todd is the only actor who could really be conceivably brought back for Bloodlines, where his character is given a cute (well, for this series, anyway) backstory, and a single scene for Todd, who was gravely ill at the time of filming and passed away in 2024 at the age of 70.

On paper, it’s a typical Final Destination where Bludworth pops up to offer some information and advice. In practice, it goes in a different and unexpectedly moving direction at the end. Todd was allowed to go off-script and finish his scene himself. Musing on the inevitability of death, he doesn’t speak to menace. Instead, Todd all but breaks the fourth wall, speaking to the characters but really to the audience who has enjoyed his distinctive gravitas for decades: “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.”

The meta dimension of this moment make it easily the most emotional scene in the entire series, which has veered toward the fliply fatalistic in recent entries. There’s an electricity to the realization that Todd, who also appeared in The Crow, Platoon, The Rock, countless TV shows, and roughly three to six DTV horror movies a year for most of the past quarter-century, is taking control over his on-screen image for a final appearance. It’s so graceful and sincere that it almost knocks you out of the movie. Plenty of big-name actors have notable final films or de facto “farewell” roles, even if some of those are accidents of fate. Character actors, those men and women who can improve a movie just by popping up for a few minutes, are rarely afforded such well-known exits. They tend to work and work and eventually disappear. (That’s especially true of so many minority performers.) So it’s ultimately fitting that Todd is able to use the ultimate star-free horror franchise – one that doesn’t even have a masked “star” like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers – to step forward from the anonymity and confirm his status as a horror icon. In a single scene, a great character actor becomes an avatar of a life well-lived.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others.