Unearthed Sixth Sense Secrets Reveal Studio Drama and Breakout Performances
Since its 1999 release, The Sixth Sense has grossed 294 million dollars in the US and 673 million worldwide, marking the highest total of Bruce Willis’s theatrical career.
Quinn Parker here and I have way too much coffee zooming through my veins but I simply cannot keep quiet about the jaw dropping secrets behind the scenes of this modern classic.
When M. Night Shyamalan first circulated his haunting script he backed it up with a bold demand: he had to direct and the project needed a one million dollar minimum bid before any studio could even read a single page. According to The Hollywood Reporter this strategy turned into a behind the scenes drama when Disney’s president of production David Vogel quietly paid 2.25 million dollars for the rights without corporate approval in a bid to skip a full blown auction. That rogue move landed Vogel in hot water and he was asked to give up parts of his contract. He refused and was fired mere months before the movie hit screens.
It gets more caffeinated from here. Disney executives had such little faith they sold production rights to a smaller outfit while keeping only a modest distribution cut. That underdog gamble paid off when The Sixth Sense skyrocketed past Armageddon and The Phantom Menace at the box office outside of Star Wars, according to Box Office Mojo. The thriller went on to bring home six Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
Shot entirely on location in Philadelphia, the production moved scene by scene to help cast and crew track the story’s mounting tension. Toni Collette earned Best Supporting Actress nods for her role as Cole’s protective mother Lynn and Bruce Willis received praise for his quiet, haunted turn as child psychologist Malcolm Crowe. The film’s realistic atmosphere and emotional depth still resonate with audiences more than two decades later.
The child star Haley Joel Osment was 10 years old when he walked into auditions and transformed the role of Cole Sear from zero to gun barrel intensity. Shyamalan filmed in sequence so Osment could build authentic emotional memories from scene to scene. His now immortal line I see dead people was treated as just another cue on set, gaining cult status only after audiences fell in love and marketing teams plastered it on posters and trailers.
Meanwhile Bruce Willis had tangled with Disney before on a shelved project called Broadway Baller. After firing the director and much of the crew just three weeks into shooting, the film stalled and racked up 17.5 million dollars in production costs. To cover that lawsuit Willis agreed to a three picture deal that funneled part of his salary back to Disney. Armageddon kicked off that contract followed by The Sixth Sense and then The Kid.
What started as a risky script sale and a child actor’s breakout ended as a thriller that still sets the bar for twist endings. From studio clashes and box office triumphs to unforgettable performances, these secrets will keep you wide awake at night. I need to switch to decaf after all this, but I could chat about it non stop!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
