It has been 25 years since the phrase ‘I see dead people’ became globally known thanks to Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis and the movie The Sixth Sense. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this psychological horror film that hit screens in 1999 has become an icon of popular culture. Although he had made his big screen debut with smaller roles in Blink Twice, Forrest Gump, or in ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ under Spielberg’s rules, none of Osment’s work had the impact of The Sixth Sense.
Today, 25 years later and at 37 years old, the once young Osment has sat down with Entertainment Weekly to share his experience filming with personalities of the caliber of Shyamalan and Willis, for whom he only has good words. Bruce Willis, who unfortunately currently suffers from frontotemporal dementia that has kept him away from the media spotlight, is under the care of his family and also his ex-wife, Demi Moore.
Haley Joel Osment
Born in Los Angeles, California, United States, Haley Joel Osment is probably one of the most recognized faces in cinema in Hollywood, and worldwide. He is known for his role as Cole Sear, a boy who occasionally saw dead people, when he was just 11 years old. He was one of the child actors with the most roles in the industry, having supporting roles in major movies like Forrest Gump and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
The Sixth Sense
In 1999, under the direction of M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense hit the big screen, a film in the horror and psychological suspense genre, featuring Haly Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, and Mischa Barton, among many others. A movie that tells the story of a psychologist who is tormented by not having been able to help a young boy but finds redemption through an 8-year-old child.
25th anniversary of the movie
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the movie, Osment sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his experience on set.
“It was fantastic… It made a big impression on me because he was the first super famous person I worked with, at an age when I was already aware of his stardom. And he did everything in such a cool way, and he had so much charisma… He was the person you always want on set setting the tone for the kind of movie we were making, because things generally revolve around number one. It was a script that we all cared about a lot and put a lot of effort into, and Bruce opened the way and led it”.
He said that it was a whole learning experience for him, and that he continued his relationship with Willis after filming ended, “Sometimes I’d come home from school and the answering machine would be blinking and he would say, ‘Hello, Haley Joel.’ He just wanted to say hi. I need to find those old tapes. I know we have them somewhere”.
Bruce Willis
Unfortunately, the great Bruce Willis has been suffering from frontotemporal dementia for a few years now, which has kept him away from the spotlight. However, he is not only surrounded by the care and love of his family but also by his ex-wife Demi Moore, who stated, ‘I never would have thought it would be a form of dementia for someone so young. You don’t cling to who they were or what you want them to be, but to who they are in this moment”.