‘Sixth Sense’ Kid Haley Joel Osment Turns 25: Here’s What He’s Been Up To

By Meriah Doty | Movie Talk – 13 hours ago

Haley Joel Osment, then and now (Photo: WireImage/Getty Images)The kid who told Bruce Willis "I see dead people" in the ghostly 1999 M. Night Shyamalan thriller "The Sixth Sense" is all grown up and piling on the film work.

Haley Joel Osment, who turned 25 on Wednesday, has decided that now is the time to buckle down. He just signed on to a handful of upcoming projects -- one of which he is reportedly helping finance.
Osment also recently shot a Web-series pilot, "Alpha House," with John Goodman, but quickly moved to a new slate of film projects. Osment will appear this year in the drama "The World Made Straight" opposite "War Horse" star Jeremy Irvine and Minka Kelly ("The Roommate"). Osment has the leading role in the film, about a man who struggles to escape the violence that binds him to his Appalachian community's Civil War legacy.
After following up his "Sixth Sense" Oscar nomination with roles in "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Pay It Forward," and "Secondhand Lions," Osment hit a rough patch, capped by his 2006 arrest on DUI and marijuana charges.
But things have been on the upswing since then. He appeared alongside John Leguizamo and Cedric the Entertainer in the 2008 Broadway revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo" and graduated from NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts in 2010.
Last year, Osment appeared in a few small films, including "Sassy Pants" and "Misadventures of the Dunderheads."
Additional future projects include the indie comedies "Sex Ed" (no release date yet) and "Blank Nation," with Michelle Trachtenberg. The latter, due out this year, is based on a true story about the origins of alternative music video site BlankTV.com. Helping fund the film, Osment is said to be particularly passionate about "Sex Ed," about a middle school health teacher who happens to be a virgin.
On top of all that, Osment is providing his voice for the leading role in an animated feature due out next year called "Heroes: The Legendary Trio." Camilla Belle and James Woods are also voicing roles.
In honor of his quarter century, let's look back at his early career, in GIF form.
Osment was just 4 years old when he started out in the biz, first appearing in a Pizza Hut commercial. (So adorable!)