Johnny Depp reveals surprising casting choices for 'Edward Scissorhands'

Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton reflect on the origins of their longstanding cinematic partnership. 

The bond between Burton, the director and co-writer of the fantasy film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ in the 1990s, and Depp, its star, was immediate and profound. 

A new documentary series about Burton reveals that there were other actors considered for the lead role.

Depp shares in an interview for Tara Wood's upcoming documentary that various Hollywood icons, including Tom Hanks and Michael Jackson, expressed interest in portraying the scissor-handed protagonist of the story. Surprisingly, Depp discloses that Tom Cruise  “was not far away from actually playing Edward Scissorhands — true story.”

After being typecast as a teenage heartthrob due to his role in ‘21 Jump Street’ from 1987 to 1990, Depp felt compelled to break free from that image. He acknowledges that he actively resisted this pigeonholing, and taking on the role in John Waters' 1990 film ‘Cry-Baby’ was a pivotal step towards the career direction he desired.

Reflecting on his time on ‘21 Jump Street,’ Depp admits that, “In all honesty, I was probably doing my best for probably the last two years to get fired… I knew how important the choice to make Cry-Baby with John Waters was, which gave me the opportunity to make fun of this arena I’d been placed in.”

The Tim Burton documentary series is set to debut at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on Monday, June 10.