Bruce Willis's Family Are 'Doing the Best They Can,' Says M. Night Shyamalan: They're 'Very Loving' (Exclusive)

Willis starred as child psychologist Malcolm Crowe in Shyamalan’s breakout hit 'The Sixth Sense' — celebrating its 25th anniversary this August

M. Night Shyamalan is sending love to his longtime screen muse Bruce Willis.

At a recent preview event for his upcoming movie Trap in Los Angeles, the writer-director reminisced about his frequent collaborator, voicing his support in the wake of Willis’ aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

“He has a very loving family,” Shyamalan tells PEOPLE, referencing his supportive loved ones, especially wife Emma Heming Willis and daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.

“They’re doing the best they can,” the Oscar-nominated filmmaker adds.

Related: Demi Moore Wishes Ex-Husband Bruce Willis a Happy 69th Birthday: ‘So Grateful for You’ 

Willis, 69, starred as child psychologist Malcolm Crowe in Shyamalan’s breakout hit The Sixth Sense — celebrating its 25th anniversary this August — opposite Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette. Following that movie’s success, Shyamalan again cast Willis in 2000's Unbreakable and 2019's Glass (plus an uncredited cameo in 2016's Split). 

“At this point, there's so many generations of people that have watched [my] different movies,” Shyamalan tells PEOPLE when asked about The Sixth Sense 25 years later. Some audiences, he says, “only know me from [2015 movie] The Visit from then on, so they don't even know about The Sixth Sense. So when I think about that, it's wild.”

He continues, “Each movie, I feel this way — that I don't know if it'll ever get made. I don't know if I'll ever get to make another one… ‘If this is the last one, I want it to just represent me.’”

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In 2023, Shyamalan revealed how “pivotal” Willis was in his life and career, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "When I was a kid, I had his posters up on my wall, and only he could play that character in Pulp Fiction or Die Hard."

He added at the time, "Our families are also very close, and I will always think of him as a big brother and remember how much he protected me."

Following the news in 2022 from Willis’ family that he was “stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," Shyamalan tweeted that the actor was his “hero.”

"All my love and respect to my big brother Bruce Willis. I know his wonderful family is surrounding him with support and strength," he wrote.

Related: Bruce Willis's Life in Photos

Osment, 36, also took to social media at the time to “express the respect and deep admiration I have for Bruce and his family,” writing that Willis is "a true legend who has enriched all of our lives with a singular career that spans nearly half a century."

Actors also paid tribute to Willis at the star-studded opening for the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival and celebration of Pulp Fiction’s 30th anniversary held Thursday, April 18 at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Eric Stoltz told PEOPLE that on the movie’s set, Willis “used to buy everybody pizzas. We had a lot of night shoots, and suddenly Bruce would show up with 10 pizzas. How could you not love that? I was crazy about the man."

Tallulah Willis, meanwhile, donned a black baseball-style cap with the word "BRUCE" stitched in white across the front at the event.

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