Johnny Depp reveals why he nearly rejected an audition for Tim Burton’s 1990 fantasy hit, Edward Scissorhands, telling his agent to “please cancel the meeting.” Directed by Burton, the darkly fantastical film follows an unfinished artificial humanoid with scissor blades for hands who is adopted by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter. Other than Depp in the titular role, the Edward Scissorhands cast also includes Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, and Alan Arkin.

In an upcoming untitled Tim Burton docuseries (via People), Depp reflected on why he nearly rejected an audition for Edward Scissorhands. Depp revealed that Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson were all in contention for the role of Edward Scissorhands and, feeling like he couldn’t compete with the A-list stars, Depp called his agent and told them to “please cancel the meeting.” Read his full reflection below:

He’s never going to cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the part. 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 f—ing nuts?” 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.

Why Edward Scissorhands Was So Important For Johnny Depp & Tim Burton’s Careers

It Started A Decades-Long Collaboration

Today, Depp could go toe to toe with Hanks, Cruise, or any other actor for that matter, though that wasn’t the case during the early 1990s. At the time, Depp was coming off starring in the 21 Jump Street television series from 1987 to 1990. As a result, the actor was being “pigeonholed” as a teen idol and, having “to fight it,” Depp skewered his own reputation as a teen rebel in the 1990 John Waters film Cry-Baby, which Depp calls “the first solid step in the direction [he] wanted to go.”

However, in 1990, Depp was still widely known as a TV actor due to 21 Jump Street and, as he explains, there was a certain stigma surrounding TV actors that made Depp feel like he couldn’t compete with major movie stars like Cruise or Hanks. However, today, the rest is history, as Depp got the role in Edward Scissorhands and his performance was widely regarded as exceptional. With minimal dialogue, Depp’s portrayal of Edward was able to convey sadness, longing, and innocence through his eyes and facial expressions alone.

Edward Scissorhands also started a decades-long collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, which went on to include 1994’s Ed Wood, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, and 2012’s Dark Shadows. Despite Depp’s initial doubts, his decision to audition for Edward Scissorhands not only defied expectations, but also marked a turning point in his career and led to a fruitful collaboration with Burton that would shape both of their legacies.

Source: People