Haley Joel Osment became a child star 25 years ago with “The Sixth Sense”. But her big career never materialized.
“I see dead people.” With this sentence, Haley Joel Osment (36) became a star exactly 25 years ago. On August 6, 1999, “The Sixth Sense” opened in American cinemas. The then eleven-year-old child actor outplayed superstar Bruce Willis (69) in the supernatural drama by M. Night Shyamalan (53), even though Willis delivered one of the best performances of his career. Haley Joel Osment was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor.
A year later, Haley Joel Osment followed up with “The Happiness Principle” (2000) with Kevin Spacey (65), who was full of praise for his young colleague. In 2001, he played a robot boy in the sci-fi hit “AI – Artificial Intelligence” for Steven Spielberg (77). But that was the end of the exceptional talent’s career.
Haley Joel Osment suffered the fate of many child stars. Like “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin (43), Osment was unable to seamlessly transition his career into adolescence or adulthood. However, Osment remained relatively scandal- and drug-free. Although, in 2006 he caused a traffic accident while under the influence of alcohol and was ordered to visit Alcoholics Anonymous, among other things.
Haley Joel Osment: That’s how it all started
Even before “The Sixth Sense,” Osment had appeared on TV and the big screen. After being discovered at the age of four, he appeared in a TV commercial for a restaurant chain. In 1994, he appeared as the son of Tom Hanks (68) in “Forrest Gump.” This was followed by several small TV roles, including in the series “Walker, Texas Ranger” with Chuck Norris (84) and in the successful legal series “Ally McBeal.”
By the way, his talent seems to run in the family: Both Osment’s father Eugene (65) and his younger sister Emily (32) are also actors.
Conscious departure from the child star image
Although there were no major films, Haley Joel Osment continued to work as an actor or as a voice actor for films and video games. He grew a beard to appear more grown-up. The plump actor does not conform to the current ideal of beauty.
And he consciously accepted roles in films outside the mainstream in order to leave his image as a child star behind him. In “Tusk” (2014) by cult director Kevin Smith (53), for example, he played a podcaster whose best friend is transformed into a walrus. Osment also played a Nazi for Smith 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. The satirical superhero series “The Boys”, in which Osment plays a role, is also controversial.
And today? Haley Joel Osment, about whose private life little is known, remains loyal to small, independent productions. However, the former boy prodigy has a somewhat larger project in the pipeline. His new film “Blink Twice” will be released in German cinemas on August 22, 2024. In the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz (35), he plays alongside Channing Tatum (44) – but once again only in a supporting role.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
