The Australian supernatural horror film Talk to Me cast is full of up-and-coming young actors. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, Talk to Me follows a group of teens who perform seances with an embalmed hand that eventually leads to a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly possession. Updating classic horror movie tropes for the 21st century, Talk to Me takes a cinematic approach to its horror storytelling and delivers abundant scares with practical effects. Though an independent film at heart, Talk to Me became something of an international horror blockbuster.

The movie had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and A24 added it to their collection of other elevated horror hits like Hereditary and The Lighthouse. Every A24 horror movie usually features a diverse cast of big stars and unknown talents, and the Talk to Me cast is a rich mixture of young and established actors who have made a splash in their native Australia. Outside the movie’s stars, Talk to Me has gained attention for delivering a distinctly 21st-century cinematic nightmare.

Sophie Wilde As Mia

Birthdate: February 22, 1998

• Active Since: 2020

Actor: Talk to Me‘s Mia is the Australian actor’s biggest role to date, but Sophie Wilde had multi-episode stints on various TV shows, including eight episodes of Eden when she played Scout. Wilde also starred as Sophia Western in the TV adaptation of Tom Jones and in the 2023 fantasy film The Portable Door as Sophie Pettingel. Her biggest role since Talk to Me came in the 2024 Nicole Kidman movie Babygirl, and she also has a part in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next film.

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Character: Sophie Wilde leads the cast of Talk to Me as Mia, a 17-year-old high schooler who seeks solace with her friends after her mother’s recent death. This leads her to want to know what lies beyond when she has a chance to speak to spirits using the severed and embalmed hand. However, when she holds onto the hand for too long, she allows the evil spirit beyond to bind itself to her, and she becomes a conduit of evil.

Alexandra Jensen As Jade

Birthdate: Unknown (2000)

• Active Since: 2019

Actor: Best known for her TV roles, Jensen starred as Sophia in Amazing Grace and had a 12-episode run as Abby on the show Frayed. Jensen also appeared in the cast of Joe Vs Carole as Chealsi and landed the starring role as Ellie in the independent music film Beat in 2022. Along with 2023’s Talk to Me, Jensen also starred in the miniseries The Messenger as Audrey Singer. In 2024, she got another movie role., starring as Miss Miller in the horror movie The Moogai.

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Character: Played by Alexandra Jensen, Jade is Mia’s best friend who helps her deal with the loss of her mother by getting her to be more social. She is also Riley’s older sister and is dating Daniel, who is much more extroverted than Mia. However, she also puts family first, as is shown when she has to choose between the possessed Mia and her own brother. In the end, it is possibly Jade who was the hero of this story – and not Mia.

Joe Bird As Riley

Birthdate: April 8, 2007

• Active Since: 2017

Actor: One of the youngest members of the cast, Joe Bird only has a handful of credits to his name, and Talk to Me is his largest part by far. Bird had previously been seen as Aiden in the independent film Rabbit, and he also starred as Kevin in the coming-of-age miniseries First Day. He hasn’t appeared in any movies or TV shows since Talk to Me​​​​​​.

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Character: Joe Bird joins the cast of Talk to Me as Riley, Jade’s younger brother who has a bond with Mia and attends the seance party with the older teens. ​​​​​​​Riley is easily the most likable member of the Talk to Me cast, someone who wants to prove he isn’t a coward but whose fears become founded when Mia ends up bound to an evil spirit. He is also the character most viewers gravitate to and want to see protected, which is why the movie’s last half is so intense.

Otis Dhanji as Daniel

Birthdate: July 21, 2003

• Active Since: 2018

​​​​​​​Actor: Otis Dhanji landed his very first role as a young version of Arthur Curry in flashback scenes in one of the best DCEU movies, Aquaman, and he followed that up with a multi-episode run as Iggy on the series On the Ropes. Dhanji played the character of Tim Hale in eight episodes of the short-lived Netflix series The Unlisted and found his way back to the big screen when he played Piers in the film June Again. He also appeared in the drama road trip movie Don’t Make Me Go in 2022.

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Character: Otis Dhanji plays Daniel, Jade’s very conservative Christian boyfriend, who reluctantly joins in at the party and allows himself to be taken over by the malevolent spirit. He is also Mia’s ex-boyfriend, and it is clear that Mia still holds feelings for him even though he is now dating her best friend. This causes problems when the evil spirit possesses him, and he becomes infatuated with Mia again, making Jade very uncomfortable.

Zoe Terakes As Hayley

Birthdate: March 22, 2000

• Active Since: 2017

​​​​​​​Actor: Zoe Terakes is best known for playing the character of Reb Keane on the hit series Wentworth, but they also appeared as Pearl Perati in the series Janet King as well. Terakes gained international attention for their turn as Scarlett in the Showtime original series The End and for their main role in the David E. Kelly series Nine Perfect Strangers, where they played Glory. They also appeared in the new version of The Office on Prime Video, playing Stevie.

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Character: Appearing in the cast of Talk to Me, Zoe Terakes plays Hayley, a mean-spirited classmate of Mia and Jade’s who has an aloof and confrontational demeanor while at the party. ​​​​​​​Hayley is easily the least likable of the friends at the original seance, someone who doesn’t really like Mia and is rude to her from the moment she shows up at the party. When Mia, Jade, and Daniel come to Hayley for help later in the movie, she refuses to offer any, even though she was responsible for what happened as much as anyone.

Chris Alosio as Joss

Birthdate: July 4, 1995

• Active Since: 2018

​​​​​​​Actor: Chris Alosio found success in the role of Manu in 10 episodes of the series Surviving Summer, and he played a similar role in Fighting Season when he appeared as Private Ulelei. Alosio acted alongside his Talk to Me co-star Jensen when he played the role of Marv Leota in the series The Messenger. In 2023, Alosio played Jonah in the cast of Next Goal Wins from director Taika Waiтιтi.

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Character: Chris Alosio plays Joss, a jock classmate of Jade and Mia’s who hosts the party involving the supernatural severed hand and is the one who best understands the rules. ​​​​​​​He is friends with Hayley and he was the one in possession of the severed arm when the previous owner died. Josh was kinder than Hayley and offered to help get more information about the statue, but he quickly backed away when he realized things were getting out of control.

Talk To Me Supporting Cast & Characters

​​​​​​​Miranda Otto as Sue – Veteran actor Miranda Otto joins the cast of Talk to Me as Sue, Jade and Riley’s overworked mother who relies on her kids to be mature because she cannot supervise them. Perhaps the most well-known member of the ensemble, Otto gained international recognition for playing Éowyn in the award-winning fantasy film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and its sequel The Return of the King. Otto also appeared in TV roles, such as Zelda in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Camille in Wellmania.

Marcus Johnson as Max – Marcus Johnson appears as Max, Mia’s father with whom she has had a falling out since the death of her mother. With a career stretching back to the 1990s, Johnson is perhaps best known for his turn as Barry in the comedy film The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee. Johnson also played the mythical role of Anubis in the historical epic series Spartacus, and the more understated part of Sid Moris in the show Secret Daughter.

Alexandria Steffensen as Rhea – Rounding out the cast of Talk to Me, Alexandria Steffensen stars as Rhea, Mia’s late mother who returns from the grave to haunt her daughter in the aftermath of her mysterious death. Acting sporadically since the early 2000s, Steffensen played the memorable role of Pamela in the comedy film How to Please a Woman. Steffensen also played Kerry Maynard in one episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours.