It’s been more than 15 years since Haley Joel Osment uttered that famous line as the haunted boy in “Sixth Sense” and after taking a break from the big screen, Osment is making a comeback– and this time he is seeing a virgin on the mirror.
From being Forrest Gump Jr. to his break out role as Cole Sear, which made him the second youngest to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, Osment seemed on his way to a long and successful acting career.
In addition to his follow-up movies Pay It Forward and A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), Osment made regular TV appearances and even did voice work for the hit Disney video game series Kingdom Hearts, but when he turned 18, Osment took a break from Hollywood and headed to New York.
“It was always college. My mum’s a sixth-grade teacher, so it was never really negotiable. And luckily, I wanted to go to college, too,” he said in an interview.
Haley studied experimental theater and graduated from the NYU’s Tisch School Of The Arts.
“You can only go to college at that time in your life once, when you are 18, in order to sort of figure out what you want in your life,” he adds.
Haley said having that college experience and a social life that didn’t revolve around Hollywood was absolutely crucial for him.
While Haley has been working steadily since graduating in 2011, his biggest role upon his return was in Entourage where he played the main antagonist Travis McCredle, which for a lot of people shattered their childhood image of Haley.
Something he redeems in the upcoming romantic indie comedy movie SEX ED from Solar Pictures.
In Sex Ed, Haley plays Eddie Cole, a down on his luck teacher who lands his first teaching gig at an inner-city middle school.
He soon finds that his highly pubescent pupils are receiving no form of sexual education. And though he isn’t really equipped to teach them, he’s takes on the challenge of explaining “the birds and the bees”, much to the chagrin of their parents.
But his biggest problem isn’t the students or their parents—it’s himself.
How can a “virgin” teach Sex Ed?
It’s a fascinating role for Haley, as the former child star now finds himself the “teacher” to a new generation of kids who are also aspiring to be actors.
The movie is backed by a talented and comedic cast led by Matt Walsh (Veep) and Retta (Parks and Recreation), Lorenza Izzo (The Green Inferno, Hemlock Grove), Glen Powell (Expendables 3, The Dark Knight Rises), Laura Harring (Gossip Girl), Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live), George Eads (CSI), and Lamorne Morris (The New Girl).
“Sex Ed”, uncut and in all its glory, will be hitting theaters on July 22, 2015, released through Solar Pictures.
