There was no certainty that “The Sixth Sense” would be a success when M. Night Shyamalan released it. In fact, it might have been viewed as a gamble by some. Shyamalan had recently finished directing the 1998 comedy “Wide Awake,” which brought in only $282,000 of its $6 million budget in box office receipts (Box Office Mojo).
Nevertheless, there were big hopes. Bruce Willis, a creative storyline, and the support of a big studio—Hollywood Disney’s Pictures—all contributed to the success of “The Sixth Sense.” The risk paid off because the movie was a huge hit, introducing audiences to one of M. Night Shyamalan’s many trademark plot twists, making young actor Haley Joel Osment an overnight sensation, and giving us the phrase “I see dead people.”
However, the young actor who may have had the largest impact on the movie was one who was better renowned for his musical career than for his acting. We went from ‘Hey, this is a fun movie’ to ‘people are really taking this seriously,’ Shyamalan told The Hollywood Reporter, thanks to an amazing performance from the most unlikely of places.
Donnie Wahlberg was practically unrecognizable
There are actors who make the most of their little on-screen moments, and then there are actors like Donnie Wahlberg in “The Sixth Sense.” Spoilers from 25 years ago are forthcoming. Also, if you are unaware of the movie’s surprising twist in the plot, where have you been?
In the start of “The Sixth Sense,” child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) and his wife return home to find Vincent Gray (Wahlberg), Crowe’s troubled former patient, in their home. In a scene that vies for the most impactful three minutes in movie history, Gray shoots Crowe before turning the pistol on himself. Crowe will spend the remaining portion of the movie assisting Cole Sear (Osment), a troubled adolescent patient who has a sixth sense for speaking to the dead. Crowe will later learn that he did not survive the shooting and was one of the dead who spoke to the child.
The psychological thriller’s first scene set the tone, and Wahlberg’s unskilled hands had to carry the load. Wahlberg was a founding member of the 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block at the time, even though he spent the latter part of the 1990s making the switch to acting. So it’s unexpected to hear Shyamalan claim that Wahlberg’s three minutes of screen time in “The Sixth Sense” set the standard for realism that permeated the entire production.
Wahlberg was emotional and full of ideas when he showed up malnourished on the set to begin filming. Shyamalan reportedly referred to Wahlberg’s initial take of the opening segment as “unbelievable.” And Wahlberg was the one who advised Shyamalan to have the entire scenario be played nude (He ultimately wore a disturbingly discoloured pair of “tighty-whities” for a PG-13 rating). When Wahlberg first appeared on the screen, viewers were in for the first major surprise of the movie. The fact that Donnie Wahlberg was so unlikeable during the performance may have been even more spectacular than the actual performance.
From boy band darling to tortured soul
For the role of Vincent Gray, Wahlberg adopted a method acting technique that helped him reduce 43 pounds in just over a month. Authentically empathising with a character’s challenges and feelings is a technique in method acting. Wahlberg left his wife and two children behind to pursue the part, staying in New York without any cash or credit cards. To lose weight, he would starve himself for a few days before eating veggies and chewing gum as he walked around the city. Wahlberg would go weeks without showering and even spent the night in a park in Philadelphia in order to better empathise to Vincent Gray. After beginning the procedure, Wahlberg said:
“I thought if I was in that room standing across from Bruce Willis and Olivia Williams and haven’t suffered and really gone through some really dramatic situations before I do this scene, how am I going to bare my clothes, never mind bare my soul? So that’s just where I went.”
For actors, the approach can be a risky practise. Heath Ledger’s close friends claim that following his arduous training for the part of The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” he was never the same. Shortly after the movie was ended, Ledger overdosed on a prescription medication by mistake. According to history, Ledger acknowledged using prescription medications prior to his passing to treat the stress and insomnia brought on by the job. Having said that, it’s important to note that Ledger’s family has disputed suggestions that his portrayal of the Joker contributed in any way to his terrible passing.
Donnie Wahlberg’s laborious procedure was successful. According to Box Office Mojo, “The Sixth Sense” was the second-highest grossing movie of 1999, earning close to $673 million at the global box office and receiving six Academy Award nominations. For his acting career, which has lasted more than 20 years, Wahlberg referred to the part as a game-changer. Wahlberg demonstrated to Shyamalan and everyone else that he had the necessary skills for the role, despite the fact that he was previously thought to be too old and too fit.
