Kendrick Lamar Used an Iconic Line From M. Night Shyamalan’s $672 Million Blockbuster Starring Bruce Willis in ‘Not Like Us’ and Caught the Director Completely Off Guard

M. Night Shyamalan is a rare director known for his unique narrative structure. The director’s films have become known for the “big twists” that change the trajectory of the stories. Films like The Sixth Sense, The Signs, The Village, Unbreakable, The Visitetc. are examples of Shyamalan’s great works, and many scenes from these films have become iconic in pop culture.

Shyamalan The sixth sense remains arguably the most famous work of his career, with one of the biggest twists in cinema. Rapper Kendrick Lamar referenced the film in one of his songs, which surprised the director. Shyamalan was able to talk about this return to his beloved film in a recent interview.

M. Night Shyamalan Was Not Informed About Kendrick Lamar’s Recall The sixth sense

M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller The sixth sense became the film that made him a true filmmaker. The film tells the story of the relationship between Malcolm and Cole, played by Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. The film contains Osment’s famous line where Cole says “I see dead people” to Malcolm, which leads to one of the film’s big twists.

The line made its unexpected entrance into Kendrick Lamar’s latest diss track Not like usShyamalan made an appearance on the Way Up podcast, where he was asked if he was aware of the reference before the song was released. Shyamalan admitted that he wasn’t informed about it and was quite surprised when he heard the line from his film in Lamar’s song.

The director also said that Lamar was very generous with him regarding the use of his iconic line and praised the rapper’s approach to music, which he believes comes from a good place. Shyamalan said (via X),

We probably know each other. He’s been very nice to me. I love him. And speaking of integrity… my son won’t even recommend music to me, they know what I’m going to say, it can be any form of music, it has to come from the right place, and Kendrick comes from the right place.

Director M. Night Shyamalan reacts to Kendrick Lamar’s use of the iconic line “I see dead people” from the film The Sixth Sense in his song “Not Like Us.”

(🎥 Way Up with Angela Yee/Youtube) pic.twitter.com/c2X7XVnLw7

— The Art of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) July 20, 2024

Lamar seems to be a big fan of The sixth sense like any other moviegoer who loved the mystery and big reveal of the movie. The film was a huge success when it was released in 1999, grossing $672 million on a budget of $40 million (via Box Office Mojo). It has an 86% glowing rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is considered one of the best psychological thrillers of all time.

M. Night Shyamalan was hesitant to cast Joel Osment in the role of Haley The sixth sense

M. Night Shyamalan The sixth sense Haley Joel Osment plays a troubled kid named Cole, who is haunted by visions of dead people around him. The actor managed to bring a lot of vulnerability and emotion to the role, something Shyamalan didn’t expect. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shyamalan revealed that he didn’t initially envision Osment playing Cole.

The director explained that Osment was a sweet and handsome boy while he imagined the character as a dark and brooding character. However, his captivating performance and the humanity he brought to the role convinced the director. Shyamalan said:

I saw this role as a brooding, darker, enigmatic child. But he captured the vulnerability and the need — I guess that’s the best way to describe it. He conveyed a need as a human being in a way that was incredible to see. He did that throughout the entire process.

After 2023 Knock on the cabinShyamalan is back with his new film Trapwhich promises to be a film full of mystery and twists (in true Shyamalan style). The film stars Josh Hartnett as a caring father who turns out to be the serial killer wanted by the police.

Trap is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 2, 2024.

Fans can watch/rent The sixth sense on Apple TV+.