How Haley Joel Osment Really Feels About What Happened To His Career

April 2024 · 4 minute read

Once an actor rises to the top of the entertainment world, most people assume that they have it made. In reality, however, that often isn’t the case. After all, there have been many cases in which major celebrities have managed to lose their careers after messing up once. Worst yet, some stars have missed out on the role of a lifetime simply due to a stroke of seriously bad luck.

On top of all the more obvious ways that an actor’s career can go wrong, things can be a lot worse behind the scenes. For example, after years of being a successful child actor, Jennette McCurdy revealed that she was giving up acting because she never really wanted to perform like that in the first place. As it turns out, McCurdy felt obligated to act for all of those years so she could financially support her family. With an example like that in mind, it is reasonable to wonder how an actor like Haley Joel Osment feels about where his acting career has gone over the years.

Related: Here's Why Jennette McCurdy Has Given Up Acting

Haley’s Take On Acting

When Haley Joel Osment would go on talk shows when he was a fresh-faced kid, he often seemed so excited to have an acting career that his energy was infectious. As a result, some people assumed that Osment was overjoyed with how things were going in his life at that time. However, it is important to note that Osment was a highly talented actor who was fully capable of making observers fully buy into whatever feelings he was attempting to relay as an actor. On top of that, when Osment was still a child, the chances of him being manipulated into embracing an acting career were much higher.

For several years during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Haley Joel Osment seemed to take a big step back from the spotlight. Then, to the surprise of many, Osment began to mount a comeback during the mid-2010s. Considering that Osment had already passed out of the spotlight, it seems reasonable to presume that Osment staged a comeback because he truly enjoys his acting career. However, assuming how a celebrity feels often can lead to some serious misconceptions. With that in mind, the best way to gauge how Osment feels about his career is to rely on his own statements.

Related: Robert Downey Jr. & Other Celebrities Who Made Successful Comebacks In Hollywood

In 2014, Haley Joel Osment went on Today to discuss his comeback to mainstream acting. During that appearance, Osment explained that he stepped away from his craft for a simple reason, he cared deeply about attending college and so did his mother. Osment also revealed that while he was pursuing his education, Haley took a couple of roles in plays that most of his fans didn’t know about. After explaining the reasons for his absence from Hollywood during his Today appearance, Osment professed how much he adores his craft. “I just feel very fortunate because acting is my first love and I want to keep at it.”

Even though Haley Joel Osment’s statement about loving acting on Today was very definitive, that appearance took place roughly eight years ago and his feelings on the topic easily could have changed since then. Thankfully, there is a more recent quote from an interview that Haley gave The Guardian in 2020 that confirms Osmnet still has a passion for acting. “That’s why it’s still something that I love doing, almost 30 years later.”

Related: This Is What Haley Joel Osment From 'Sixth Sense' Is Up To Now

Osment’s Child Star Experience

Over the years, there have been many examples of former child stars who got in serious legal trouble as adults. Considering that most adults want to protect children, it makes sense that it is distressing when someone who grew up in front of the world goes astray in a major way. For that reason, a lot of people have come to believe that almost all former child stars grow up to have issues due to the pressures they underwent as youngsters. According to what he said during a 2019 interview with the Independent, Haley Joel Osment has a lot of fondness for his childhood and he doesn't agree with the way people perceive what it is like to be a former child star.

“I think sometimes there’s an expectation for there to be that darkness. But I think there are a lot more stories of people who had positive experiences working as children and didn’t have that kind of cliched storyline going forward. And that’s been the case for me.” Based on his statements about acting and his child star past, the only reasonable conclusion that someone can come to is that Haley Joel Osment is happy with how his career and life has played out in general.

Next: This Is What Haley Joel Osment From 'Sixth Sense' Is Up To Now

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