Johnny Depp has revealed which A-listers he beat out for his huge display breakout position in Tim Burton‘s Edward Scissorhands.
Throughout an interview in Tara Wooden’s still-untitled Burton docuseries, which premiered on the 2024 Tribeca Movie Pageant in New York Metropolis on Monday, the actor seemed again on the 1990 movie that ignited a years-long display collaboration between Depp and the filmmaker.
Depp recalled a number of the greatest Hollywood names on the time, together with Tom Hanks, Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise, eager to play the film’s scissor-handed hero. He even mentioned the latter “was not distant from really enjoying Edward Scissorhands — true story.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor mentioned when he first learn the Edward Scissorhands script from Burton and screenwriter Caroline Thompson, it “handed by means of every little thing, something, strong and went to the very core of no matter I’m. The writing was stunning. The character was stunning. What I suppose [attracted] me emotionally was that Edward was me. It’s precisely what I must be doing.”
Nevertheless, Depp admitted he felt like he was turning into “pigeonholed” as a teen star on the time together with his position in 21 Leap Road from 1987 to 1990. And he noticed John Waters’ 1990 movie Cry-Child as “the primary strong step within the course” for him.
“In all honesty, I used to be in all probability doing my finest for in all probability the final two years to get fired,” he mentioned of 21 Leap Road. “I knew how vital the selection to make Cry-Child with John Waters was, which gave me the chance to make enjoyable of this area I’d been positioned in.”
As Depp continued to maneuver within the course he had dreamt about, his agent lastly booked him a gathering with Burton for Edward Scissorhands. However it led to a second of self-sabotage upon studying about all of the A-list stars additionally combating for the position of Edward.
“He’s by no means going to forged me when everybody in Hollywood is after the half,” Depp recalled considering. “Tim’s actually juggling as a result of he’s getting hit by his agent, the studio, all people. So I referred to as my agent after studying the script and mentioned, ‘Please cancel the assembly, I’m not going.’ She mentioned, ‘Are you fucking nuts?’”
He continued, “It was bizarre as a result of there’s all the time that bastard in your cranium that goes ‘Come on, man. You’re a TV actor man.’ As a result of at the moment it was virtually either-or.”
However Depp “lastly gave in,” finally main him to develop into certainly one of Burton’s onscreen muses for years to come back. The duo collaborated on quite a few tasks, together with 1994’s Ed Wooden, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Manufacturing unit and 2010’s Alice in Wonderland.