Man Who Plays Dead On TikTok Lands Gig In CSI: Las Vegas

Josh Nalley, 42, is a restaurant manager and TikTok account holder, but he is hoping for a new career. In fact, for the past year, he has been “playing dead” on TikTok, hoping for a role in a Hollywood movie. It seems he plays dead very well, as he now has a role on CSI: Las Vegas.

Josh Nalley ‘playing dead’ on TikTok

A restaurant owner in Kentucky has finally snagged a cherished TV role. In fact, he has been producing fun videos of himself “playing dead” while tagging film studios. After a year of sharing his obvious talent as a dead person, he has finally landed a role on CSI: Las Vegas. Readers can see his videos on TikTok under the handle @living_dead_josh.

@living_dead_josh

#fyp #foryoupage #csivegas

♬ Sunset Lover – Petit Biscuit

While Josh doesn’t fancy himself as an actor, he feels he plays dead very well and wanted to snag a role on TV “without having to do much work.” So far, he has posted more than 350 videos and his viewers have helped his journey by tagging film studios in the comments. Meanwhile, Josh says the support he has had from all kinds of people on TikTok has been amazing.

TikToker snags a role

After more than a year of posting the videos to TikTok, late July saw Josh’s dream as playing dead come true. He looked so darn good, that he has been chosen for a TV role.

@living_dead_josh

#DidYouYawn #csivegas #foryoupage #fyp

♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound

Meanwhile, Nalley’s TikToks have attracted as much as 5.8 million views and resemble a macabre version of Norwegian “slow TV.” In the clips, he is mostly propped against something for 10 seconds while a friend or himself takes the video. In one, Josh sprawls on the floor of Ripley’s Believe it or Not in Hollywood. In another, he lays face down in snow, on an abandoned road, or next to a stream.

TikTok user plays dead on a gurney in CSI: Las Vegas

In July, CBS contacted him, telling him they had seen his videos on their For You Page. They offered him a role (obviously as a cadaver) on CSI: Las Vegas. Nalley asked for a vacation from his day job and traveled to California for four days to shoot his scenes.

@living_dead_josh

#csivegas #foryoupage #fyp #ghost #pumpkinseason

♬ Oh Klahoma – Jack Stauber

According to Josh, he first had to spend a couple of hours in a makeup chair, so they could make him look more dead than he looks naturally. He told Insider that for his TV debut, he was told to lay still on a gurney. While he is used to playing dead, he does admit that lying in the same place for five hours was a little trying.

Who knows? If he can get some energy going, he could star in The Walking Dead or a similar show as a zombie.

Readers can catch Josh Nalley in CSI: Las Vegas on November 3 at 10 pm on CBS.