What happened to the "Sixth Sense" kid?
The film "The Sixth Sense" launched the then eleven-year-old Haley Joel Osment to worldwide fame alongside Bruce Willis. Twenty-five years later, the actor has no desire to return to his child star image.
"I see dead people." With this line, Haley Joel Osment became a star 25 years ago. On August 6, 1999, "The Sixth Sense" premiered in American theaters. The young child actor outshone superstar Bruce Willis in the supernatural drama by M. Night Shyamalan, despite Willis delivering one of his best performances. The young Haley Joel was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
A year later, Haley Joel Osment followed up with "Pay It Forward" with Kevin Spacey, who praised his young colleague. In 2001, the child star played a robot boy in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi hit "A.I. - Artificial Intelligence." However, that was the end of the exceptional talent's rise.
Like many child stars, Haley Joel Osment, now 36, struggled to transition his career into adulthood. Similar to "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin, Osment was unable to maintain his success. However, he managed to avoid major scandals and drug issues. In 2006, he caused a car accident under the influence of alcohol and was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Before "The Sixth Sense," Osment appeared in TV and film. After being discovered at the age of four, he starred in a TV commercial for a restaurant chain. In 1994, he played Tom Hanks' son in "Forrest Gump." He then appeared in several small TV roles, including "Walker, Texas Ranger" with Chuck Norris and the successful legal drama "Ally McBeal" with Calista Flockhart.
Osment's acting talent runs in the family; both his father, Eugene, and his younger sister, Emily, are also actors.
No Desire for Mainstream Roles
Despite the lack of major film roles as he grew older, Haley Joel Osment continued to work as an actor and voice artist for films and video games. He grew a beard to appear more mature, as seen on his Instagram account.
He also deliberately took on roles in non-mainstream films to distance himself from his child star image. In 2014's "Tusk" by cult director Kevin Smith, he played a podcast host whose best friend is transformed into a walrus. In 2016's "Yoga Hosers," he played a Nazi for Smith.
In 2019, the former child star appeared in Netflix's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" alongside Zac Efron, playing serial killer Ted Bundy. His role in the satirical superhero series "The Boys" is also controversial.
Little is known about Haley Joel Osment's private life. Recently, he has stuck to small, independent productions. However, the former prodigy has a larger project in the works. His new film, "Blink Twice," directed by Zoé Kravitz, is set to release in German cinemas on August 22, 2024. He will star alongside Channing Tatum, but once again in a supporting role.
Following his successful role in "The Sixth Sense," Haley Joel Osment continued to explore non-mainstream film roles to differentiate himself from his child star image. In 2016, he played a controversial Nazi character in Kevin Smith's "Yoga Hosers."
As he grew older, Osment deliberately chose roles that kept him away from mainstream films, such as his part as a podcast host whose friend transforms into a walrus in "Tusk" by Kevin Smith in 2014.
