Johnny Depp changed the world of cinema when he joined forces with Tim Burton to star in the iconic 1990 film Edward Scissorhands. A tale of gothic romance set against the morals of humanity, the film managed to make the entire world cry including Depp.
Recalling the casting process, Johnny Depp revealed that he cried after reading the script like a newborn baby. The actor was so underconfident in himself though that he thought that the role would surely go to Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks!
Johnny Depp Wept Like A Newborn
Depicting the role of a man with scissors for hands and running from a crime he did not commit, Edward Scissorhands is a testimony to the beautiful tragedies of Tim Burton. Renowned as one of Burton’s best films ever made, Johnny Depp shined in the lead role.
Talking about what it was like before he was finalized for the role, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor revealed that he wasn’t even sure whether he’d get picked for the role or not. In an interview (via Objection Hearsay), the actor revealed that he wept like a baby after he read the script.
“I was asked to go and have a meeting with Tim Burton. This was ’89. It was for the role of Edward Scissorhands and the screenplay made me sob like a child. I cried like an infant. Like a…like a newborn. It was so…it just touched me.”
He further continued,
“Just moved me greatly and so much so that I called my agent and cancelled the meeting with Tim [Burton]”
Being underconfident with such a great script at hand, Johnny Depp thought that the role would never go to him in the first place. Talking about 20th Century Fox’s favorites, Depp thought that the role would go to Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks.
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Johnny Depp Did Not Feel Confident In Himself
Recalling the moments after he wept like a newborn, Depp confided that the first thing he did was call up his agent and cancel his meeting with Tim Burton. Citing various reasons for this move, Depp seemed to be pretty underconfident when he wanted the role of Edward Scissorhands.
“I was sure there was no way he would cast me in the part. Tom Hanks was talked about but 20th Century Fox thought would be the best option for Edward Scissorhands at the time was Tom Cruise and he would have been great in his own way”
Since Cruise wanted to change the ending of the original Tim Burton script, the role went to Johnny Depp in the end. Edward Scissorhands received a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDB and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently available to stream on Max in the U.S.
