Haley Joel Osment, a former child star, recently shared a heartwarming tradition that Bruce Willis maintained in the years following their work on the film, The Sixth Sense. Osment, who is now 36 and set to guest star in a major Netflix show in 2025, gained recognition for his role in M Night Shyamalan’s 1999 movie when he was just 11 years old, making him one of the youngest Oscar-nominated actors.
Although Osment’s acting career began five years earlier with a role in Forrest Gump, it was The Sixth Sense that garnered him significant media attention. During that time, he received invaluable support from his co-star Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Osment shared, “I heard from Bruce a lot after it came out in those subsequent years. He’d leave voicemails at the house from time to time, just checking in.”
Osment fondly recalled instances when Willis would call unexpectedly, especially before their trips to Japan to promote The Sixth Sense in different cities. Reflecting on his experience working with Willis, Osment expressed admiration for the actor’s charisma and ability to set a positive tone on set. While Osment had previously worked with Tom Hanks on Forrest Gump, he described Willis as the first major celebrity he collaborated with at an age where he fully understood Willis’s stardom.
Despite the close bond they shared during The Sixth Sense, Osment mentioned that he has not been in touch with Willis since news emerged regarding the actor’s health in recent years. In March 2022, it was revealed that Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder resulting from brain damage that affects comprehension, speech, reading, and writing. Subsequently, Willis was given a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare and aggressive form of dementia, as disclosed by his daughter Rumer in a recent update.
Frontotemporal dementia primarily impacts the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, affecting functions related to personality, behaviour, language, and speech, according to Dementia UK. Osment expressed a desire to find old answering machine tapes containing messages from Willis to preserve those memories.
The touching tradition maintained by Willis serves as a testament to the enduring bond between the two actors, showcasing the impact of genuine connections forged in the world of cinema.
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