25 years after 'The Sixth Sense' - How did it go with Haley Joel Osment?
"I see dead people." With this line, Haley Joel Osment (36) became a star exactly 25 years ago. On August 6, 1999, "The Sixth Sense" premiered in American theaters. The then eleven-year-old child actor stole the show from superstar Bruce Willis (69) in the supernatural drama by M. Night Shyamalan (53), despite Willis delivering one of his best performances. Haley Joel Osment was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
A year later, Haley Joel Osment followed up with "Pay It Forward" (2000) alongside Kevin Spacey (65), who praised his young colleague. In 2001, he played a robot boy in Steven Spielberg's (77) sci-fi hit "A.I. - Artificial Intelligence". However, that was the end of the exceptional talent's rise.
Haley Joel Osment suffered the fate of many child stars. Like "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin (43), Osment struggled to transition his career into adolescence or adulthood. However, Osment managed to stay relatively scandal and drug-free. In 2006, he caused a car accident under the influence of alcohol and was ordered to attend meetings with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Haley Joel Osment: How it all began
Before "The Sixth Sense", Osment appeared on TV and in movies. After being discovered at the age of four, he starred in a TV commercial for a restaurant chain. In 1994, he played Tom Hanks' (68) son in "Forrest Gump". He then had several small TV roles, including in the series "Walker, Texas Ranger" with Chuck Norris (84) and the successful legal drama "Ally McBeal".
Osment's talent seems to run in the family: both his father Eugene (65) and his younger sister Emily (32) are also actors.
Deliberate departure from child star image
Although major films were scarce, Haley Joel Osment continued to work as an actor and voice artist for films and video games. He grew a beard, as seen on his Instagram account, to appear more mature. The full-figured actor does not conform to the conventional beauty standard.
He also deliberately took on roles in non-mainstream films to distance himself from his child star image. In "Tusk" (2014) by cult director Kevin Smith (53), he played a podcaster whose best friend is transformed into a walrus. For Smith, Osment also played a Nazi in "Yoga Hosers" in 2016.
In 2019, the former child star appeared alongside Zac Efron (36) in the Netflix film "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" about serial killer Ted Bundy. His role in the satirical superhero series "The Boys" is also controversial.
Today, Haley Joel Osment, about whom little is known about his private life, remains loyal to small, independent productions. However, the former prodigy has a bigger project in the pipeline. His new film "Blink Twice" will be released in German cinemas on August 22, 2024. In the directorial debut of Zoé Kravitz (35), he will star alongside Channing Tatum (44) - but once again in a supporting role.
In the supernatural drama "The Sixth Sense," Bruce Willis delivered one of his best performances, but the then eleven-year-old Haley Joel Osment, also in the movie, managed to steal the show.In the satirical superhero series "The Boys," Haley Joel Osment appeared in a controversial role, further distancing himself from his child star image.
