I see dead people,
is one of the most famous quotes in film history. For many, The Sixth Sense is considered one of the best films by Bruce Willis and M. Night Shyamalan. But what is the boy from The Sixth Sense doing today?
What is The Sixth Sense? The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 and was the fourth film by M. Night Shyamalan. The drama is one of the best films featuring Bruce Willis and has achieved cult status. Especially the line: I see dead people
, has become ingrained in pop culture.
The true star of the film is not Bruce Willis, but the little boy played by Haley Joel Osment. He manages to convey a sense of sorrow and melancholy at just 11 years old, which the audience can truly feel.
But the promising boy did not turn into a great actor. Even though he still works as an actor today.
From The Sixth Sense to The Boys
What were the beginnings of Haley Joel Osment like? Even before The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment had smaller roles. He got his start in 1994 in Hell on Earth. This is a rather forgotten TV movie. Just one film later, he had a small role in Forrest Gump.
There he played the young son of Forrest Gump. After that, he took on small roles in series or TV movies. His first major breakthrough came with The Sixth Sense, where he shared the lead role with Bruce Willis. He performed quite well. He even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Despite this strong performance as a young actor, he did not have a big career afterwards.
What happened after The Sixth Sense? Three years later, he managed to secure another significant role. In A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, he starred alongside Jude Law under the direction of Steven Spielberg. But aside from that, things remained quite quiet. He appeared regularly in films and worked as a voice actor in 2 Disney sequels.
After that, he mainly played small roles in lesser-known films. An example would be the crazy horror film Tusk in 2014. Fans of The Boys may also know him. There he played Mesmer (ironically also a former child star), who initially helped the Boys and then betrayed them. In the end, he was killed by Butcher.
Most recently, he appeared in 2024 in the thriller Blink Twice directed by Zoë Kravitz.
As a child star, it’s often tough to build on initial successes. People frequently put you in a box. But Haley Joel Osment must be acknowledged for still working as an actor today. Not everyone needs to become a big mega-star. Some top actors had their breakthrough later: 10 actors who had a late breakthrough: 10 actors who had a late breakthrough
