What happened to the kid who saw "dead people"?

Haley Joel Osment after "Sixth Sense" decided to disappear from Hollywood

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It was 20 years ago, when in early November 1999 the movie "Sixth Sense" was released in cinemas, causing the same global sensation. Her finale was subversive and it was what gave her a place in the pantheon of films that made history. But also during the screening period, it created an unwritten world omerta, since no one witnessed the end to someone who had not seen the film.

And maybe the "Sixth Sense" of M. Knight Siamalan… boasts that he defeated the spoilers! But he can also boast of one more reason - in addition to Oscar nominations and millions of dollars in revenue - for the kid who saw "dead people".

At the age of 11, Halley Joel Osment was cast as co-starring opposite Bruce Willis in the Siamese psychological thriller, winning over the audience and many nominations for awards, most notably the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The frightened little boy of the film conquered the audience, even the demanding critics, while the attack of "I see dead people" is now legendary.

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And while everyone would have expected that after "Sixth Sense" the roads to Osment would be wide open and a brilliant career awaited him out there, things turned out differently. Little Haley was not unknown to the public, nor to the scene.

From a very early age he was involved in the field of advertising, while before "Sixth Sense" he had made a passage from "Philadelphia" with Tom Hanks, while in "Forrest Gump" he played his son. Besides, many critics had classified Osment as the child prodigy of the serious repertoire.

But the sequel was different and the kid who saw "dead people" himself decided to disappear from Hollywood and live a normal life. Although an accident with his car at the age of 28 and the adventures with the law, since he was drunk, it was enough for a long time to believe that he was still a child prodigy, who could not escape the "curse" who was chasing them. Haley, however, still stubbornly denies that he belongs to this "cursed" list.

The child who worked to help his family

Halley Joel Osmend was born in Alabama to a family that was struggling financially. His father was an actor and his mother a teacher, while he also has a younger sister who also entered the stage early, where she participated in the youth series "Hannah Montana".

However, the "star" of the family was Haley, who from an early age showed that he was a talented child. "Many of my friends from the area had warned me about his talent, saying that he would be suitable for commercials," said his father.

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And indeed the commercials did not take long to come. One day, the little boy was at IKEA with his mother and a talent scout spotted him and asked him to go through a trial for a Hut pizza commercial. He took it and then others followed. And Haley was helping his family financially in this way, which until then he had a hard time making ends meet and for a long time he ate exclusively noodles and tomato sauce.

And somewhere there the cinema came into his life. The first major role during an appearance was in "Forrest Gump", where he plays the son of Tom Hanks. And before the '90s said goodbye, the proposal for the "Sixth Sense" came. In fact, Seilliman did not want any other child in the role, except Halley.

His shocking performance even earned him an Oscar nomination, while he managed to "steal" the impressions even from his co-star, Bruce Willis. And not unjustly, after "Sixth Sense" the critics gave little Osment the title "the little male Jodi Foster", considering that he was a child prodigy of serious cinema. Besides, he appeared next to great actors.

"Sixth Sense" was followed by "Free" with Kevin Spacey and Ellen Hunt, Steven Spielberg's "Artificial Intelligence" with Jude Law, and "Second Lion" in 2003. alongside the great Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. This was also Haley's last film, before his disappearance from Hollywood.

The big decision

Unlike the parents of other child prodigies, a typical example of Macaulay Calkin, the Osmens were always close to their child, supporting him and most importantly making sure he had a normal life.

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In this, as he has confessed, the fact that he played in movies that his classmates did not watch helped him, so they did not fully understand that they had a big brand in their school. But he never saw himself as a star.

And in the stubbornness of all those who insisted that the child prodigies eventually follow dark paths, full of demons, Osment wanted to prove that his case was different. He continued his school and life normally, while at the age of 15 he decided to give it all up. And disappear!

The accident that "received" his image

And while Haley Osment was trying to show that he was not being chased by any "curse", a crash came to upset his life. And bring him to the fore for the wrong reasons.

In 2006, when he was 18 years old, he crashed his car, as it fell on a wall. He broke his ribs in the collision, while it turned out that he was driving drunk. He was then sentenced to 3 years in prison with suspension, a fine and sentenced to 60 hours of treatment.

The press of the time in a series of articles tried to explain how publicity at a young age can have devastating consequences for the child. At a time when he and his family were trying to attribute the crash to the bad time and that Haley was not experiencing alcoholism or behavioral problems. All this doom made him decide to disappear for good from the star system for the next few years, playing only in independent productions, while he also lent his voice to animated films.

The return and change in his appearance

The kid who saw "dead people" grew up and over time his appearance changed. Many said that it does not resemble the little one in "Sixth Sense", others - more vicious - attributed the extra pounds to his appearance on issues related to his mental health.

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He laughs with the kindness that characterizes him - as those who know him closely say. "I have never had problems with my mental health. "Maybe because I always have my family by my side who supports me," he said in a recent interview.

Today, he is 31 years old and does not seem to regret his decision to slam them when all roads were open to him. Although he believes he had a lot to give. "Of course I'm proud of the films that remain so beloved and will be watched for many years to come," he said in a recent interview with the Telegraph.

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