M. Night time Shyamalan says Bruce Willis gave him an additional enhance of confidence on The Sixth Sense, his breakout 1999 movie.
Earlier than he grew to become Hollywood’s newest wunderkind with The Sixth Sense, M. Night time Shyamalan had loads to show. Keep in mind, previous to breaking out with that 1999 movie, he was making indies and clashing with Harvey Weinstein, the now-disgraced mega-producer solely releasing Vast Awake (shot in 1995) after the spec script for The Sixth Sense bought for a reported $3 million. Luckily, he had Bruce Willis by his facet, the actor discovering Shyamalan to be some of the promising abilities he had ever seen.
M. Night time Shyamalan recounted one story of confidence he acquired from Bruce Willis whereas making The Sixth Sense, likening him to a different current up-and-comer. Because the story goes, at some point Willis summoned him to his trailer. “I go up, and I knock on the door, and the door opens. I go, ‘Hey, did you want to say something?’ and he goes, ‘I’ve only felt this once before. I felt it on Pulp Fiction, and I just felt it now.’ And then he goes, ‘You’ve got it, kid.’ So I said, ‘Oh, thanks!’ He closed the door, and I literally skipped down the sidewalk. But that’s who he was. He would test you, and basically say, ‘Do you believe in yourself? Because I don’t think you do.’ And if it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, you’re dead. And it worked!”
Nabbing Bruce Willis for The Sixth Sense was clearly an enormous get for Shyamalan. However this solely took place due to a film referred to as Broadway Brawler, which you’ve most likely by no means heard of as a result of it stays unfinished. Such a tumultuous shoot it was that Disney shut it down and threatened to sue Willis. As an alternative, a contract was labored out that may pressure him right into a three-picture cope with the studio; therefore, The Sixth Sense. And sure, that is additionally why he received dragged into The Child.
Even nonetheless, he was Bruce Willis, which might be an intimidating factor, whether or not for a younger director or a seasoned vet. However Shyamalan nonetheless had a job to do: direct. And so he did, shifting ahead even figuring out Willis’ generally robust popularity. “There was a slightly tense moment in the last thing we were shooting on that Friday where [Bruce] did a line and I had a note. You never know when that moment happens, when you make or break your career, when you become who you’re going to become. I was like, 26 or 27. He gave me the ice look: ‘I think we got it.’ And I went over to him. He was ice. And I whispered in his ear the note. I said, ‘I want you to der-der-der-der’. He kind of looked at me, and I quickly go, ‘Alright, roll sound. Here we go!’ I didn’t even give him a conversation.”
The Sixth Sense would go on to nab an applicable six Oscar nominations, together with Greatest Director for Shyamalan, making him one of many youngest for the class. Haley Joel Osment would even be one of many youngest nominees in his class, Greatest Supporting Actor.
