Where The Sixth Sense cast are 25 years on – from child megastar who quit fame to surprise royal role in The Crown
IT’S the horror classic that spawned the immortal line: “I see dead people.”
Filmgoers were left chilled by The Sixth Sense, with its creeping suspense and mind-blowing twist.
Die Hard actor Bruce Willis played a child psychiatrist who tries to treat a vulnerable little boy who claims to see the dead – and the horrendous ways they met their end.
The movie became an instant classic and is now, unbelievably, 25 years old this month and enjoying a renaissance as a retro cinema showing.
The film was so entrancing, weeks after its original release, movie bosses continued to advertise it with the catchline ‘Do you know the secret yet?’
It was the second highest-grossing movie of 1999 behind Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, making more than £500million at the box office.
When it was released on VHS and DVD in 2000 it was the year’s top-seller with more than 2.5 million copies bought.
When it finally hit British TV screens three years later it was the third-watched movie of 2003 with nine million viewers.
Despite its huge success the man who brought the movie to Walt Disney Studios was fired over it.
The then-president of production, David Vogel read writer M.Night Shyamalan’s script and loved it so much he bought the rights – despite a £2.3 million price tag.
Vogel failed to get prior permission for the deal and was stripped of his title before later leaving.
For those who are enjoying The Sixth Sense for the first time, we won’t spoil the epic ending but here’s what happened to the actors who made it a hit.
Haley Joel Osment
WIth his soulful eyes and sense of vulnerability, Hayley was perfect to play Cole Sear, the little boy haunted on a daily basis by the dead.
He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance – the second youngest actor ever to receive the accolade.
Before he auditioned the part aged 10 – he was 11 when it hit cinemas – Hayley read the script twice before his audition.
Director Shyamalan originally said he didn’t want a ‘Hollywood kid’ and the child actor had already starred in Forrest Gump five years earlier.
But he relented during Hayley’s audition, saying: “He blew the frickin’ roof off.”
Hayley, who debuted in a Pizza Hut commercial aged five, went on to appear in Artificial Intelligence in 2001 and the 2000 film, Pay It Forward.
The son of an actor and a teacher, by his late teens he decided to take a break from the spotlight and enroll at New York’s Tisch School of the Arts.
He later said of the decision: “I did work that practically nobody saw for a long time, which was not a great career move, but, ultimately, it was important for me to figure out whether this was what I truly wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
In 2006, Hayley was caught driving under the influence of alcohol and also convicted of misdemeanour drug possession.
Every day for years people would say, ‘Dude, I didn’t know that was you’
Donnie Wahlberg
He suffered a broken rib and fractured shoulder after a crash and was sentenced to three years probation, 60 hours in an alcohol rehab unit and attendance at Alcoholic Anonymous.
Hayley later said: “When you get lucky as I did and work on some amazing films at a young age, one of the career drawbacks is that the image of you as a child is burned into people’s minds for a long time.”
For more than 20 years, Hayley, now 36, has captivated video game players as Sora in Kingdom Hearts and has also had roles in Silicon Valley, Amazon series, The Boys, and Hulu Show, Future Man.
He also had a supporting role in the Ted Bundy film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Hayley isn’t the only famous member of his family.
Few Brits will realise his sister is Hannah Montana star Emily Osment, now 32.
She played Miley Cyrus’ best friend Lilly Truscott and the pair are still friends today.
Emily also appeared in Spy Kids and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Hayley later said of his sister’s role in Hannah Montana: “That show was squarely aimed towards creating mania in that age group.
“She had to deal with a lot more strange invasions of privacy, not being able to have a normal school life. And what exacerbated all of that was she had to be on social media. I resisted until I was, like, 27”
Bruce Willis
The Die Hard actor was stunning in his performance as tortured psychiatrist Malcolm Crowe.
Willis was famous for tough guy roles when he took on the acting job which showed a more thoughtful and sensitive side.
The 69-year-old was tragically diagnosed with dementia and in March 2022 his family announced he was retiring.
The news was devastating for his Sixth Sense co-stars.
Hayley Joel Osment called him a “true legend who enriched all our lives.”
What happened to Bruce Willis?
HOLLYWOOD favourite Bruce Willis made a name for himself as the ultimate action hero - having starred in films including Die Hard, Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense.
But in March 2022, the actor’s family revealed he would be “stepping away” from the limelight after being diagnosed with aphasia.
The language disorder, which impacts cognitive abilities, cut his career short and forced the star into retirement.
Since Bruce’s diagnosis, his daughter – Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn – hab rallied around their dad, as well as his wife Emma Heming and ex-wife Demi Moore.
The family, who are guarding his privacy, have shared several updates related to his health on social media.
After one outpouring of love from fans, Scout wrote online: “I’d hoped for some love and compassion, I truly NEVER could have anticipated the depth and breadth of the love we received as a family.”
In February last year, the family revealed Bruce’s condition had worsened and they had received a “more specific diagnosis” – frontotemporal dementia.
While the family were “relieved” to finally know what’s wrong, they have also battled “sadness” and “grief” every day, Emma said.
In June, Bruce was seen on Disneyland’s Splash Mountain ride with his family and was praised as “the greatest dad I know” by his wife.
A few months later, in September, Emma said it was “hard to know” if Bruce knew what was happening to him but he remained “my comfort zone”.
In March this year, Emma said they were “stronger than ever” as they marked their 15th wedding anniversary and shared a photo of them kissing on Instagram
She described having a “choice to wallow in sorrow” or to “celebrate it” and she knew which Bruce would have preferred for her.
Willis was an inspiration to Hayley and even helped him cry in the movie after one of the producers suggested the Moonlight actor yell lines off-camera to get the 10-year-old’s waterworks going. It worked.
Director Shyamalan, who got six Oscar nominations for the movie, went on to work with Willis in the 2000 superhero film Unbreakable, its 2016 prequel Split and the 2019 follow-up Glass.
He described Willis as a “brotherly presence” in his life after the actor “took a big risk on me and protected me” during the scary thriller.
Donnie Wahlberg
Ex-New Kids on the Block member Donnie shocked with his talented performance as one of Malcolm Crowe’s ex-patients, Vincent Grey.
Donnie was 28 when he appeared as an emaciated mental patient who shoots the psychiatrist.
He had appeared in just a handful of movies when he landed the role which led to one of the most famous twists in movie history.
Donnie was then 28 and had to transform his ripped boy band body for the part.
He left his then wife Kimberly Fey and their two children to live in a New York apartment for weeks on his own with no cash to prepare for the gig, fasting for days.
Donnie told USA Today: “I starved myself. I would fast for two days and then only eat steamed cabbage and drink beet juice.
“I would chew gum all day and I would literally walk around the streets to burn thousands of calories. I didn’t shower for weeks.
“I wasn’t taking care of myself and I was a loner. That was as close as I could come to this guy. I definitely had to suffer in the only way I could. I was so hungry, I was depressed. I cut off my life to get ready for the role.”
It was clear my doctors thought I was delusional and that is a very lonely place to be
Olivia Williams
Wahlberg lost over three stone, dipping to 9 stone 9lbs.
He added: “Every day for years people would say, “Dude, I didn’t know that was you’”
The 54-year-old, now married to model Jenny McCarthy, went on to appear in the Saw horror series and various dramas.
He reunited with his New Kid on the Block band members in 2008 and they have had several comeback tours. Their 1990 album Hangin Tough sold 15million copies across the world.
Trevor Morgan
Trevor played Cole’s school bully and went on to win roles in Jurassic Park and The Glass House.
His brother Joey was the more famous of the family but tragically died aged 28 in 2021.
The cause of his death was never revealed.
Joey starred in the Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse film and in the comedies Flower and Compadres.
Show business is in the family with parents Lisa and Joe running a talent production firm.
They moved from Chicago to California where Trevor, now 37, won small parts in commercials for McDonald’s and Cheerios.
The family then relocated to Los Angeles so Trevor could pursue a career in acting.
He has not appeared in anything since 2011.
Bruce Norris
Bruce played Cole’s teacher Stanley Cunningham, who in a chilling outburst was mocked by the boy over having a stutter during his childhood.
Since the thriller, the actor added a few more acting credits to his name, most notably three cameos in Law & Order, but appears to have turned his hand to writing.
In 2011, Bruce’s play Clybourne Park was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and one year earlier claimed the Olivier Prize for Best New Play.
I did work that practically nobody saw for a long time, which was not a great career move, but, ultimately, it was important for me to figure out whether this was what I truly wanted to do for the rest of my life
Haley Joel Osment
However, two years ago, the writer courted controversy with his off-Broadway play Downstate, which sympathetic portrayed the plight of paedophiles.
It depicted the ‘menial existences’ of the child abusers and despite discussing molestation in graphic terms received ‘rave reviews’ from media outlets.
Mischa Barton
Few will remember Mischa’s role as Kyra Collins, the vomiting ghost of a young girl who wants Cole to reveal her mum murdered her.
Instead, the 38-year-old is likely known for playing trouble Marissa Cooper in the teen drama The OC and the “full-on breakdown” she suffered after leaving the show in 2008.
Mischa claims the troubled time in her life was caused by being “overworked and depressed” – which led to her being arrrested for drunk driving, marijuana possession and driving without a licence.
It had taken more than 10 doctors, across three continents, four years to track it down, but finally, I had a diagnosis.
Olivia Williams
The actress and model, who was sentenced to three years probation for her crimes, was also temporarily sectioned by her family around this time fearing she was “a risk to herself”.
Mischa has spoken out about her issues of being a child star including becoming “a strange sex symbol” at 13 and her publicist telling her to sleep with Leonardo DiCaprio at 18 to boost her career.
In 2016, she appeared on Dancing With The Stars – America’s version of Strictly – and just a year later won a revenge porn lawsuit preventing her ex Jon Zacharias from selling their sex tape.
During her career, Mischa has also starred in reboots of Aussie soap Neighbours and reality show The Hills, the film Notting Hill and Law & Order.
Olivia Williams
Viewers watch the relationship between Malcolm and his wife Anna, played by Olivia, grow increasingly colder to the point where they appear estranged – until the twist reveals all at the end.
Olivia’s career blossomed after the film with her going on to bag parts in the likes of Spaced, Friends, Peter Pan, An Education, X-Men: The Last Stand and Hanna.
But at the same time as she was making a name for herself, her personal life disintegrated.
She spoke about being plunging into a period of “miserable singledom” after fiance Jonathan Cake, ended their seven-year relationship two weeks before their wedding.
Thankfully, Olivia found love again – marrying actor Rhashan Stone in 2003, whom she had two daughters with – and she’s continued to land big roles.
Most recently, she portrayed Queen Camilla Parker-Bowles in the fifth season of The Crown, alongside Dominic West, back in 2022.
Away from the spotlight, few will know Olivia has been battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer – called vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) carcinoma – for six years.
It took four years for her to be diagnosed, during which time she was wrongly told she had depression, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions.
She told Vogue magazine: “It was clear my doctors thought I was delusional and that is a very lonely place to be…
“It had taken more than 10 doctors, across three continents, four years to track it down, but finally, I had a diagnosis.”
The 55-year-old Olivia – who says she is “not cured” but her condition is “being managed” – believes there’s “much more at risk” of her being killed riding her bike in London “than I am to die of this cancer”.