Johnny Depp needs no introduction. The charismatic actor, who has been consistently enchanting viewers on both smaller and larger screens since the 1980s, has entered the history of cinema forever. American born in 1963 gained popularity thanks to the television production “21 Jump Street” broadcast in the years 1987-1990, thus acquiring the name of a teenage idol.
Years later, he openly admits that he was not satisfied with this title. He felt pigeonholed in the perception of public opinion and was very keen to present himself to audiences in a completely new version.
“To be completely honest, in the last two years of recording (21 Jump Street), probably I did everything to get fired“- says the star.
Depp's first opportunity for a “fresh start” was a film directed by John Waters. In a satirical pastiche of the colorful 1950s, the actor played a rebellious rockabilly modeled on such icons of the music scene as Elvis Presley or Johnny Cash. “Cry Baby”as the production is titled, still delights today with its humorous depiction of teenage life at that time, its brilliant soundtrack and the extravagant acting of Depp himself.
“I knew how important this role was, as it gave me the opportunity to make fun of the label assigned to me,” he says.
In 1990, the year in which John Waters' satire was released, another, as it later turned out, extremely important work in Johnny's life premiered. Only now, after the premiere of “Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries” directed by Tara Wood at the Tribeca festival in New York, we learn that Many well-known actors tried for the main role in “Edward Scissorhands”.. Burton had already produced several significant productions, including: “Frankenweenie” or “Beetlejuice”. Many wanted to work with him, which effectively took away Depp's self-confidence.
In Wood's documentary, the actor describes his feelings after reading the script for the film: “The writing was beautiful. The character was beautiful. I think what captivated me was that Edward was me. It was exactly what I should have done. (…} But will never hire me when everyone in Hollywood wants this role.” Serious competition for the young artist at that time was Tom Hanks, Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise.
The latter, as the actor admits, was really close to success in the competition. This caused so much uncertainty in Depp that he called his agent to cancel the meeting about the role. Then he heard from his friend: “Are you crazy?!”
Ultimately, he found not only a scheduled interview, but also a film that was the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. The artist became the director's undeniable muse and successfully got rid of the unwanted label of a teenage idol.
Together, the gentlemen created “Edward Scissorhands”, a dark fantasy film telling the story of an orphaned cyborg boy who, after losing his creator, is taken in by a family from a nearby town. A character with long scissors instead of hands discovers the beauty of the human world and unexpectedly falls in love with a local girl, played by Winona Ryder.
The following years of Hollywood acquaintance resulted in other, well-known productions today, such as “Ed Wood” (1994), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005) and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007).
The starring role with Burton gave Depp's career the chance to make the change it needed and shaped it for years to come. It's hard to believe that the star was willing to give up the casting.
“It was weird because you always have this saboteur in your head,” he recalls in the documentary series about Tim Burton.
“Untitled Tim Burton Docuseries” directed by Tara Wood premiered on Monday, June 10 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Jenna Ortega and Michael Keaton also appeared in the production.