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Ready to feel old? The Sixth Sense was released 25 years ago. A brand new 4K UHD Blu-ray is coming out on October 22 to mark the anniversary, and Haley Joel Osment just did a nice interview with Entertainment Weekly where he talked about making the movie. One of the loveliest features of the interview is Haley Joel’s fond memories of working with Bruce Willis. He said Bruce, as #1 on the call sheet, really set the tone for a supportive film set. And even after shooting, Haley Joel shared that Bruce would call him up periodically to check in. Aw, what a mensch.
Haley Joel Osment said that he heard from Bruce Willis “a lot” in the years after they appeared in 1999’s “The Sixth Sense,” with Willis calling his co-star’s house just to check in.
The actor reflected on the voicemails Willis left from “time to time” as he spoke to Entertainment Weekly for a story published Friday, in honor of the M. Night Shyamalan thriller’s 25th anniversary.
“He would just call out of the blue, so sometimes it was in the lead up before travel,” said Osment, who added that they went to Japan together twice to open “The Sixth Sense” in different cities.
“So he would call ahead of that, and then sometimes I would just come home from school and the answering machine would be blinking and it’d be him going like, ‘Hey, Haley Joel. Just saying hi.’”
Osment, whose performance as Cole Sear earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, said that working with Willis was “fantastic.”
Osment was 10 years old when “The Sixth Sense” was shot but said he was “old enough to have seen a lot” of Willis’ films, so there was excitement working together.
“And that’s something that lasts your entire career, where you get to work with people who you’ve enjoyed watching in other things,” Osment said.
“And it made a huge impression on me because that was the first gigantic celebrity that I’d worked with at an age where I was aware of his stardom. And he did everything in such a cool way, and had such charisma, and was the person that you want on set setting the tone for the sort of movie we were making.”
Osment told EW that he hadn’t spoken to Willis since news broke of his recent health battles.
Willis’ family announced that he was retiring from acting back in 2022 after he was diagnosed with aphasia. His family later said that Willis’ condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, which can result in trouble communicating, unusual behaviors and emotional problems, according to the National Institute on Aging.
Osment, at a premiere event for the new film “Blink Twice” last month, shared well wishes for Willis and showed love to the actor’s “wonderful” family for being “courageous” in giving updates about him.
“I just feel grateful to have known him and got to work with him because he’s a wonderful, larger-than-life person,” Osment told Access Hollywood’s Zuri Hall.
There really is so much more to Bruce Willis than John McClane. Haley Joel’s recollections just reinforce what a grounded, caring Hollywood movie star Bruce is. I love hearing stories like this, and I hope his daughters enjoy this account of their dad as well. If you’re a die hard Sixth Sense fan (sorry, had to do that!) then I recommend checking out the rest of EW’s interview with Haley Joel. Or even if you’re not! I enjoyed reading it and I haven’t seen Sixth Sense in 25 years. That’s not a diss — I have a funny little macabre quirk where I laugh at horror movies, so I generally abstain to protect the viewing pleasure of other movie goers. But I definitely remember being completely surprised by the infamous twist. It’s probably time to watch it again through adult eyes, especially with it being peak horror season. (What? I meant Halloween, not the election!)
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Photos credit: IFA Film / Avalon, Getty and via Instagram
It’s nice that a child star has fond memories of a huge movie star. However I do remember that Bruce did have a rep from being a bit of an a jerk in the 90s No?
Nothing justifies ever being a jerk, but I can almost understand how much his ego inflated. Bruce Willis in the 90s must be one of the biggest movie stars of all time. Pulp Fiction, Sixth Sense, Armaggedon, Fifth Element… I could go on and on. Whether you love or hate these movies they were all MASSIVE hits one way or another. ’90s Bruce Willis has one of the most impressive filmographies of all Hollywood.
SIN CITY !?!?!?!
I thought the same, he had a bit of a reputation, and I remember ending Demi’s memoir with some not great feelings about him, but do admire how they have remained friends and close with their daughters. And it’s really nice to hear he was kind and support to Haley Joel. That film was huge (and so good), and Bruce was probably a little worried for such a young kid having so much attention on him.
Great movie. Scary at first and then the surprise ending that turns everything sad and tragic. It’s hard to see anything with Willis in it now knowing that he has dementia. Sending well wishes and love to anyone who is suffering from or dealing with a family member who has dementia. It’s such a cruel disease.
Aw, such a cute story.
I’m sad I’ll never be able to watch Sixth Sense properly. I had the plot twist spoiled on a TV show and I didn’t love the movie knowing that. Is it just me, or is this literally the most spoiled movie in existence? xD
At the time, it was this amazing contradiction: everyone was talking about The Amazing Twist but no one would outright spoil it by saying what The Twist was. That was my personal & media experience anyway. It was pretty cool.
I knew about the twist and still enjoyed the movie a lot. I always bawl my eyes out at one of the last scenes (Cole and his mom in the car).
Aww, this makes my heart happy. I love to read about famous people being as lovely as you hope them to be.
It reminds me of Ke Huy Quan and his stories about the generosity and kindness Steven Spielberg showed to him and his family over the years.
My mother had Parkinson’s and it was so hard to remember what she was like before that disease changed her. It’s a blessing every time someone gifts you a sweet memory. I know this helps Bruce’s family through this difficult time.
Beautiful comment