MOVIE NEWS – The Sixth Sense director’s tense moment with Bruce Willis could have ended his career, but things ended happily…
The world of filmmaking can be a strange and surreal place. Especially when, as a young director, you look through the lens of a camera and realize that you are shooting with one of the biggest stars. Are you doing things right? Do they respect you? For M. Night Shyamalan, these questions and more were answered by Bruce Willis after the actor spoke highly of the young auteur following a tense moment on the set of The Sixth Sense.
Speaking to Total Film (via GamesRadar ), Shyamalan recalled his time on the set of the 1999 film ahead of his new movie, Trap. He shared a moment between himself and Willis that began with a small comment the director intended for the megastar. At the time, he wasn’t sure how the Die Hard actor would react, and he didn’t wait to find out.
“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.”
At this point, things could have gone either way.
Willis could have made Shyamalan’s life hell on set. He could have argued with the director about every little detail, or he could have done the opposite and recognized Shyamalan’s talent and worked with him to make the best film possible. After all, filmmaking is a collaborative endeavour when done right, and fortunately for Shyamalan, Willis chose the latter when he invited him to his trailer that evening.
“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!”
Willis was probably pleased with the director’s performance. He took on minor and major roles in three more films, and the character of David Dunn is one of his best performances, especially in Unbreakable.
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Trap, will hit theatres on August 2, 2024.
Source: GamesRadar
