Johnny Depp Recalls How He Beat Tom Cruise To Bag The Lead Role In Edward Scissorhands

Johnny Depp is one of the biggest Hollywood stars but just like others he had to beat his competition to secure the position at what he is today. In a latest interview, the Pirates of the Caribbean star revealed how he beat Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Michael Jackson for his breakout role in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands.

According to People magazine,  Depp revealed that he secured his breakout role by beating out some of the biggest names in film and music. The Academy Award nominee revealed that he competed with the likes of Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, and even Michael Jackson for the title role in Tim Burton’s 1990 gothic fantasy.

The actor mentioned to director Tara Wood that Cruise “was not far away from actually playing Edward Scissorhands — true story,” as he reflected on the film for an untitled docuseries about Burton.

Depp ultimately landed the role of the gentle outcast, created by a scientist (Vincent Price) with scissors for hands. After his creator dies, a local woman (Dianne Wiest) takes Edward into her suburban home, where he falls in love with her daughter (Winona Ryder) and faces ostracism from the townspeople.

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“He’s never going to cast me”

Johnny Depp revealed that Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson’s script “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.”

The actor also shared that he felt “pigeonholed” as a teen idol coming off his 1987-1990 stint on 21 Jump Street. He added that he “had to fight” this label, noting that his starring role in John Waters’ 1990 cult classic Cry-Baby “was the first solid step in the direction I wanted to go.”

However, given Tim Burton’s rising fame following Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Beetlejuice (1988), along with Hollywood’s interest in the project, Depp thought, “He’s never going to cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the part.”

Johnny 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,’” to which his agent reacted shockingly. Depp recalled, She said, “Are you f***ing nuts?'”

He continued, “It was weird because there’s always that voice in your head saying, ‘Come on, man. You’re just a TV actor.’ Because at that time, it was almost either-or.” After Depp “finally gave in” and met Burton, he landed the part, which ultimately earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.

Johnny Depp has since collaborated with Burton on several films, including Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Dark Shadows (2012).