YOUR 60 SECONDS EXTRA STARTS HERE: At just 15, Haley Joel Osment is considered the best young actor of his generation. Starting out in commercials at five, he played Tom Hank's son in Forrest Gump and came to fame in The Sixth Sense, which earned him an Oscar nomination. He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence: AI and his latest film, Secondhand Lions, is out on October 24.

Your colleagues say you're very mature and professional. Do you still feel like a kid?

I guess I don't pay a lot of attention to age. I just try and do my best on stage. Age is never really a factor. That's obvious in this film, where you have two very different generations. In acting everyone is on the same playing field, especially when you're working with such generous actors as Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, who greet every actor with the same respect.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: What was it like working with the lion in Secondhand Lions?

Everyone thought it was going to be really dangerous and it probably was. But it never made itself look like it was going to attack anybody. I was ready to go jump in the cage with that lion. I think I was one of the least afraid people on the set.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: What do you want to do when you grow up - continue acting or turn to directing like Jodie Foster, another famous child star?

I think it's very possible to do both, and Jodie has continued to act. I'd really enjoy getting behind the camera eventually, so I'll see how much that appeals when that moment comes.

What about college?

School has certainly broadened the interests available to me. And college, which I'm definitely planning on going to, is a big opportunity for me to see what else is out there. I'm planning on acting too, but it's not the only thing. I'll just have to see what I enjoy most later in life.

Do you have a tutor on set?

Yes, but when I'm at home I go to a normal school.

Are people at school phased by your movie star life?

It's something they had to get used to. But I think from the beginning all the other kids at school understood that I was just a kid like them. And I was really lucky to meet people like that. They just knew it was about who we were as fellow students, not about the acting business. We can talk about it, and that's fine, but it's not something they get taken with.

As an actor himself, does your Dad Eugene constantly give you advice?

Yes, he taught me how to act and still works with me today. He's been the biggest giver of advice since I started doing commercials when I was five. That was the same year as Forrest Gump - my first film.

What's the coolest thing you've bought with your earnings so far?

The money made by anyone under 18 in films can't be used until you're 18. So there haven't been any big purchases yet.

Do you get an allowance?

Sure yeah. I'm not a big shopper so I don't have too many needs. There's no set amount. It's pretty much what I need to get by.

Will you buy a car at 16?

Yes, probably, just to get to school. But I wouldn't expect anything too extravagant. Every 16-year-old wants a Porsche but it's very doubtful that I'm going to get that. I think I'll just have to save up for my car like a regular 16-year-old.

What about being a role model for other teenagers? Do you feel you can't have a beer in case a tabloid gets hold of the photo?

It's all about being confident with who you are and what you've been doing, that stuff shouldn't bother you. And nobody takes the tabloids too seriously. I can't say right now how I would react to that but I don't think it would bother me.

Is it difficult meeting girls?

Well, not at school because I know everyone. It's different in public, where recognition is a factor. But with the people I know, when you get to know somebody that goes away.

Do you do any sports?

This past summer I've been running six days a week with a cross-country team. I think right now I can do three miles in 18 or 19 minutes. I'm hoping to drop my time this year. I love it. It's the hardest thing I've ever done physically. When you're running, everything hurts. I think it's important for people to get to that level. It changes you.

Aren't you also an avid golfer?

Yes, and that's a lot less strenuous. My Dad's been my coach in that too. We try and get out there as much as possible. With golf, you can never get out there enough. It's weird. I think getting that little white ball into a hole so small just grabs you.

It sounds like you enjoy a challenge in life.

I do. And golf's really addictive. It's like slot machines. You know you're not always going to win but the one time you get a birdie, you know you have to come back for more.