Haley Joel Osment Says Bruce Willis Called Him for Years to Check in AfterThe Sixth Sense: 'It Made a Huge Impression'

Mar. 15, 2025

Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis.Photo:Kayla Oaddams/WireImage, Mike Marsland/WireImageHaley Joel Osmentis speaking fondly of his formerThe Sixth SensecostarBruce Willis.In a new interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1999 thriller, Osment, 36, revealed that Willis, 69, regularly called to check in on him in the years after the pair famously worked together on the film.“I heard from [Bruce] a lot after it came out in those subsequent years,” Osment toldEntertainment Weekly.“He’d leave voicemails at the house from time to time, just checking in.”“He would just call out of the blue … in the lead-up before travel. We went to Japan together twice … to openThe Sixth Sensein different cities,” he added. “So [Bruce] 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 and Willis in the 1999 film ‘The Sixth Sense’.GettyOsment was just 10 years old when he starred opposite Willis as psychologist Malcolm Crowe in M. Night Shamalayan’s global hit. He said of working with the iconic actor, “At that point, I was old enough to have seen a lot of Bruce’s movies, which added a lot of excitement to it.”“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 continued. “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.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Willis' family announced in March 2022 that he had beendiagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder “impacting his cognitive abilities,” and was “stepping away” from his acting career as a result.Osment toldEWthat he hasn’t been in touch with Willis following his diagnosis. “I know his daughters a little bit, but I have not spoken to him since the news of his health in recent years,” he said, referring to Willis’ oldest daughters:Rumer,ScoutandTallulah Willis.Reiche/ullstein bild/GettySpeaking further about working with theDie Hardstar, Osment said, “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, because things usually revolve around the No. 1 on the call sheet.“It was a script that we all cared about so much and put so much effort into, and Bruce led the way on that,” he added.The Sixth Senseis available to stream now.

Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis.Photo:Kayla Oaddams/WireImage, Mike Marsland/WireImage

Kayla Oaddams/WireImage, Mike Marsland/WireImage

Haley Joel Osmentis speaking fondly of his formerThe Sixth SensecostarBruce Willis.In a new interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1999 thriller, Osment, 36, revealed that Willis, 69, regularly called to check in on him in the years after the pair famously worked together on the film.“I heard from [Bruce] a lot after it came out in those subsequent years,” Osment toldEntertainment Weekly.“He’d leave voicemails at the house from time to time, just checking in.”“He would just call out of the blue … in the lead-up before travel. We went to Japan together twice … to openThe Sixth Sensein different cities,” he added. “So [Bruce] 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 and Willis in the 1999 film ‘The Sixth Sense’.GettyOsment was just 10 years old when he starred opposite Willis as psychologist Malcolm Crowe in M. Night Shamalayan’s global hit. He said of working with the iconic actor, “At that point, I was old enough to have seen a lot of Bruce’s movies, which added a lot of excitement to it.”“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 continued. “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.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Willis' family announced in March 2022 that he had beendiagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder “impacting his cognitive abilities,” and was “stepping away” from his acting career as a result.Osment toldEWthat he hasn’t been in touch with Willis following his diagnosis. “I know his daughters a little bit, but I have not spoken to him since the news of his health in recent years,” he said, referring to Willis’ oldest daughters:Rumer,ScoutandTallulah Willis.Reiche/ullstein bild/GettySpeaking further about working with theDie Hardstar, Osment said, “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, because things usually revolve around the No. 1 on the call sheet.“It was a script that we all cared about so much and put so much effort into, and Bruce led the way on that,” he added.The Sixth Senseis available to stream now.

Haley Joel Osmentis speaking fondly of his formerThe Sixth SensecostarBruce Willis.

In a new interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1999 thriller, Osment, 36, revealed that Willis, 69, regularly called to check in on him in the years after the pair famously worked together on the film.

“I heard from [Bruce] a lot after it came out in those subsequent years,” Osment toldEntertainment Weekly.“He’d leave voicemails at the house from time to time, just checking in.”

“He would just call out of the blue … in the lead-up before travel. We went to Japan together twice … to openThe Sixth Sensein different cities,” he added. “So [Bruce] 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 and Willis in the 1999 film ‘The Sixth Sense’.Getty

Getty

Osment was just 10 years old when he starred opposite Willis as psychologist Malcolm Crowe in M. Night Shamalayan’s global hit. He said of working with the iconic actor, “At that point, I was old enough to have seen a lot of Bruce’s movies, which added a lot of excitement to it.”

“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 continued. “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.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Willis' family announced in March 2022 that he had beendiagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder “impacting his cognitive abilities,” and was “stepping away” from his acting career as a result.

Osment toldEWthat he hasn’t been in touch with Willis following his diagnosis. “I know his daughters a little bit, but I have not spoken to him since the news of his health in recent years,” he said, referring to Willis’ oldest daughters:Rumer,ScoutandTallulah Willis.

Reiche/ullstein bild/Getty

Speaking further about working with theDie Hardstar, Osment said, “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, because things usually revolve around the No. 1 on the call sheet.

“It was a script that we all cared about so much and put so much effort into, and Bruce led the way on that,” he added.

The Sixth Senseis available to stream now.

source: people.com