Haley Joel Osment, the young actor who shot to stardom when he played young Cole Sear inThe Sixth Sense, confirms that thetwist ending to the horror filmwasn’t a strategically guarded secret during production. While many may question how the secret was kept without special measures, the 1999 release date was long before the arrival of social media, which probably helped a lot. Osment himself believes that a number of factors, from a glorious lack of spoiler culture to the disbelief that the project could be a hit, combined in the perfect way to ensure that many audiences did not discoverThe Sixth Sense’s rug-pull twist until they saw it in cinemas.
Inan interview with IndieWire, while promoting his new film,Blink Twice, Osment spoke about the production of what is still his most iconic role. Recalling the way the twist ofThe Sixth Sensewas never thought of as a big secret, the actor said:
“I really don’t remember there ever being a meeting or a talking-to or a press strategy powwow about keeping that secret. A lot of that was the era that we lived in. There wasn’t spoiler culture, at least as much as there is now, back in the late 1990s. And the internet wasn’t as omnipresent, and people couldn’t be taking photos of things that maybe they shouldn’t be taking photos of on-set without having to go get the film developed after.”
Osment also noted that he doesn’t recall “the grown-ups” being particular optimistic aboutThe Sixth Sensebeing a commercial hit. The film ended up making almost $673 million from a $40 million budget. Critical acclaim was instant, and director M. Night Shyamalan was instantly put in the spotlight as the next Spielberg. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards in categories including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Needless to say, it became one of the most successful horror films ever made.
The Sixth Sense
“We also did not see it becoming the phenomenon that it became. I think we were all really proud of the movie that we made, and I remember having dinner with Night at the press junket right before the movie came out, where he was expressing his hope that it would stay in the top three through word of mouth for a couple of weeks. Nobody saw it going to number one.”
Nevertheless,when it became an international hit, producers saw the potential of its twist ending. Per Osment’s interview:
“That kind of international attention is what then made it seem like a secret that had to be guarded. But yeah, it is wild to me because I certainly don’t remember signing an NDA, and nowadays, if you’re auditioning for some voice job, you have to sign an NDA for some lines that aren’t even going to be in the final product. So we’ve definitely come to a different place.”
The Sixth Sense Paved the Way for Shyamalan’s Career
The Sixth Sensefollows a young boy named Cole Sear. Cole is a smart and introverted child whose relationship with his mother (Toni Collette) is rocky enough for a child psychologist to be called in to help. Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willisin one of his best roles) tries to help young Cole, however, it turns out that the child has a peculiar issue at the heart of his troubles: he sees dead people. Ghosts wandering around, seeking justice and payback. The film’s twist ending is revealed when the audience finds out that Crowe actually died in the movie’s opening moments and is another one of Cole’s visitors.
M. Night Shyamalan Says Studio Was Afraid To Market Unbreakable as a Comic Book Movie
M. Night Shyamalan’s follow-up to the mega-successful The Sixth Sense was marketed as a horror-thriller despite being a superhero film.
The twist ending ofThe Sixth Sensewas strong enough to shape its director’s career towards that model. From that moment on, almost all his films would rely on a final twist that sometimes worked, but often didn’t - or at least never quite to the same extent asThe Sixth Sense. Part of the problem became audiences expecting a twist in all of the director’s movies, often leading to disappointment when the ending did not deliver a moment as big and startling as fans anticipated. Recently, Shyamalan has seen a bit of a resurgence with movies such asOldandKnock at the Cabin. His latest movie,Trap, which appeared to reveal its twist in its first trailer, is out now in theaters.
The Sixth Senseis available to stream on Max.
