Johnny Depp’s acting career exploded after he starred in Tim Burton’s classic 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, but before he landed the lead role, there were eight other actors that were considered. The role could’ve easily gone to another actor, and the list of actors that were up for the role was interesting.
It might be hard to imagine now, but Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr., John Cusack, Gary Oldman, and even William Hurt were in the running for the part. Then, of course, Michael Jackson wanted to play the character.
Depp recently said that Cruise “was not far away from actually playing Edward Scissorhands — true story, and that with so many A-listers up for the part, he nearly rejected the chance to audition despite desperately wanting the role.
The actor talked about first reading the script saying it “passed through everything, anything, solid and went to the very core of whatever I am. The writing was beautiful. The character was beautiful. What I suppose [attracted] me emotionally was that Edward was me. It’s exactly what I should be doing.”
But all of the A-list talent up for the lead role made Depp feel like Burton is “never going to cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the part.”
Depp recalled: “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 fucking nuts?’”
He added: “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.”
Depp “finally gave in” and took the meeting with Burton, and the rest is history.
Hanks could’ve taken the role, but he decided to pass on it so that he could star in the film Bonfire of the Vanities. Cruise was considered for the role while he was shooting Days of Thunder, Burton decided he didn’t want that big of a star. He was looking more for an up-and-coming actor. Someone with more indie appeal.
As for Jim Carry, he was on the rise and was put on a short list of possibilities, but things obviously didn’t go in that direction. William Hurt actually approached the producers about the Edward Scissorhands role, but Burton was looking for a younger actor.
Burton actually offered Gary Oldman the role, but after reading the script he turned it down because he didn’t quite understand it. He told Larry King: “I read the script and I went, ‘It’s ridiculous. A castle at the end of this road and then an Avon lady comes around selling makeup and this kid’s got scissors hands? This is nuts. I don’t get this at all.’”
John Cusack was one of the first actors that Burton looked at casting in the film. In fact, Edward Scissorhands screenwriter Caroline Thompson originally envisioned Cusack in the lead role.
Robert Downey Jr. might have been cast, but at the time he was in the middle of shooting Air America with Mel Gibson. Thompson told Insider: “There was a party somewhere where Robert Downey was feted as Edward. I’m not sure why that happened.”
Then there was Michael Jackson, who actively pursued the role, but Burton was more interested in hiring an actor in the role instead of a huge pop star. Thompson said: “I imagine Michael Jackson wanted to do it. I imagine he pursued Tim. Tim didn’t pursue him.”
Thompson explained that the role needed to go to a very specific actor, and she originally thought the concept was “the stupidest idea [she’d] ever heard in [her] life.”
That initial reaction to the project changed though, for her, and she said: “It’s brilliant. There is no struggling for understanding what that means, it’s right there on its sleeve. If I can’t understand a movie with the sound, it’s not worth watching to me. Movies are movies. Not words. What could be more clear than a guy with a set of scissors for hands not being able to fit in?”
In the end, Depp was the perfect actor for the role. He brought the character to life in such a wonderful way and I’d say it was inspired casting. He managed to tell Edward’s story through his wonderful facial expressions and his eyes, as the character speaks less than 150 words in the entire film.
Thompson said Depp, “delivered a beautiful, beautiful performance.”
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