When you think of ‘Edward Scissorhands’ by ‘Wednesday’ creator Tim Burton, you immediately think of Johnny Depp. The mime artist shone in this role and was even nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of the tragically misunderstood outsider. This film also laid the foundation for the collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, which lasted for years and from then on became something like the home of the eccentric director and court artist.
Surprisingly, the role was first offered to other actors in Hollywood. This also applies to the acting icon Gary Oldman (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), who turned down the role but now regrets that decision.
Gary Oldman misjudged the film
In an episode of the talk format the Hollywood star confirmed he had been approached for the role. Ultimately, however, he decided against the film, also because he misjudged the potential of what would become a cult film at the time. A decision he would regret to this day:
“I read the script and thought, ‘This is ridiculous. There’s a castle at the end of this street, and then along comes a lady from Avon selling makeup, and this guy has scissor hands? This is crazy. I don’t understand it at all.’ […] And then I watched the movie… After two minutes I thought, ‘Yeah, I get it.”
We have included the relevant interview fragment here for you:
Anyone who would like to watch the film again and has a Disney+ subscription is in luck, because you can currently find the tragic fairy tale ‘Edward Scissorhands’ on the Mouse House streaming service.
Ultimately, it was fortunate that Gary Oldman turned down the iconic role, as Johnny Depp turned out to be the ideal choice. In any case, the actor is not the only one who should be ashamed of this decision, because Tom Cruise, another Hollywood star, has also turned down the role of Edward, the scissor boy. You can read the absurd reasons why we didn’t work with director icon Tim Burton here: