Johnny Depp He beat out some of the biggest names in film (and music) in one of his most notable roles.
The Academy Award nominee revealed that he beat Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and even Michael Jackson for his eponymous role in the gothic fantasy Tim Burton from 1990, Edward Scissorhands (The young scissorhands).
Depp told the director Tara Wood that Cruise “wasn’t far from playing Edward Scissorhands, a true story” while reflecting on the film for an untitled documentary series about Burton, People revealed.
He finally landed the role of the loving outcast, which was created by a scientist (Vincent Price) with scissors instead of hands. When its creator dies, a local woman (Dianne Wiest) takes Edward to his suburban home, where he falls in love with his daughter (Winona Ryder) and faces ostracism from the townspeople.
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Johnny Depp with Winona Ryder.
The actor said that Burton’s script and Caroline Thompson “it cut through everything, anything, solid and got to the very core of who I am. The writing was beautiful. The character was beautiful. What I guess emotionally attracted me to him was that Edward was me. It is exactly what he should be doing.”
Johnny Depp’s transition from television to cinema
After passing through 21 Jump Street Between 1987 and 1990, Depp felt “pigeonholed” as a teen idol. He “had to fight” the label, noting that his starring role in the cult classic John Waters from 1990, Cry-Baby“it was the first solid step in the direction I wanted to take.”
But given Burton’s rising star after Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Beetlejuice (1988), as well as Hollywood’s interest in the project, Depp thought, “He’ll never cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the role.”
“Tim is really juggling because his agent, the studio and everyone beat him up. So I called my agent after I read the script and said, ‘Please cancel the meeting, I’m not coming,'” Depp recalled. “She said, ‘Are you fucking crazy?’”
He continued: “It was weird because there’s always that bastard in your skull saying, ‘Come on, man.’ You are a television actor. Because at that time it was almost one thing or the other.”
After Depp “finally gave in” and met Burton, he landed the role, which ultimately earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.
Depp has since worked with Burton on Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factorand (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Dark Shadows (2012).
