Summary
Johnny Depp reveals why he nearly rejected an audition for Tim Burton’s 1990 fantasy hit,Edward Scissorhands, telling his agent to “please cancel the meeting.” Directed by Burton, the darkly fantastical film follows an unfinished artificial humanoid with scissor blades for hands who is adopted by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter. Other than Depp in the titular role, theEdward Scissorhandscastalso includes Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, and Alan Arkin.
In an upcoming untitled Tim Burton docuseries (viaPeople),Depp reflected on why he nearly rejected an auditionforEdward Scissorhands. Depp revealed that Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson were all in contention for the role of Edward Scissorhands and, feeling like he couldn’t compete with the A-list stars, Depp called his agent and told them to “please cancel the meeting.” Read his full reflection below:
He’s never going to cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the part. Tim’s really juggling because he’s getting hit by his agent, the studio, everybody. So I called my agent after reading the script and said, “Please cancel the meeting, I’m not going.” She said, “Are you f—ing nuts?” It was weird because there’s always that bastard in your skull that goes “Come on, man. You’re a TV actor guy.” Because at that time it was almost either-or.
Why Edward Scissorhands Was So Important For Johnny Depp & Tim Burton’s Careers
It Started A Decades-Long Collaboration
Today, Depp could go toe to toe with Hanks, Cruise, or any other actor for that matter, though that wasn’t the case during the early 1990s. At the time,Depp was coming off starring in the21 Jump Streettelevision seriesfrom 1987 to 1990. As a result, the actor was being “pigeonholed” as a teen idol and, having “to fight it,” Depp skewered his own reputation as a teen rebel in the 1990 John Waters filmCry-Baby, which Depp calls “the first solid step in the direction [he] wanted to go.”
However, in 1990, Depp was still widely known as a TV actor due to21 Jump Streetand, as he explains,there was a certain stigma surrounding TV actors that made Depp feel like he couldn’t compete with major movie starslike Cruise or Hanks. However, today, the rest is history, as Depp got the role inEdward Scissorhandsand his performance was widely regarded as exceptional. With minimal dialogue, Depp’s portrayal of Edward was able to convey sadness, longing, and innocence through his eyes and facial expressions alone.
Why Tim Burton Didn’t Want To Cast Tom Cruise In Edward Scissorhands
When Burton was casting Scissorhands, the studio wanted to cast Tom Cruise in the eponymous role, but Burton refused, citing creative differences.
Edward Scissorhandsalso started a decades-long collaboration betweenTim Burton and Johnny Depp, which went on to include 1994’sEd Wood,2005’sCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2007’sSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2010’sAlice in Wonderland, and 2012’sDark Shadows. Despite Depp’s initial doubts, his decision to audition forEdward Scissorhandsnot only defied expectations, but also marked a turning point in his career and led to a fruitful collaboration with Burton that would shape both of their legacies.
Edward Scissorhands
Cast
From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, an artificial human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades instead of fingers. After his creator’s death, Edward is taken in by a normal suburban family and becomes attracted to the family’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
