Why Gary Oldman Turned Down The Role That Made Johnny Depp A Star
Gary Oldman and Johnny Depp are easily two of the best actors of their generation. But could you imagine Gary as Edward Scissorhands?
Perhaps he would have made this particular beloved movie better than Johnny Depp did. Or perhaps it would've been much worse. Either way, it would have been different and that's not what diehard fans of Edward Scissorhands would have wanted. In every respect, the unbelievable rich Johnny Depp made this very strange movie a critical darling and one of the most sought-after films of the 1990s. This was something Johnny was absolutely counting on when he signed on to do the film. But back when Gary Oldman read the script, he just didn't see the potential that Johnny Depp clearly did.
The Real Reason Gary Oldman Turned Down Edward Scissorhands
In an interview with Larry King in 2016, Gary Oldman went into detail about his career and the minor regrets he's had along the way. One of the most interesting questions asked had to do with the roles that Gary had turned down. When asked this kind of question, actors tend to be very cagey. This is because they don't want to come across as rude to the actors who took the roles. That and the fact that they don't want audience members to compare them. But, in the interview, Gary actually was honest about one specific role that he turned.
"Ever regret anything you've turned down?" Larry King asked Gary, who sat alongside Kevin Costner in the interview.
"I've turned a few things down. I can't say I 'regret'. But I couldn't mention them," Gary explained. "I can tell you one story, that they were interested in me, many years ago, for Edward Scissorhands."
"Really?"
"And I read the script and I went, 'This is ridiculous. A castle at the end of this road and then an Avon lady comes around selling makeup and this kid's got scissor-hands. This is nuts! I don't get this at all.' And I ended up not doing it. I don't think I even went for a meeting. I just said [to my agents that] 'It's not for me. I don't get it.'"
The Role That Made Johnny Depp A Star
Of course, many fans of Edward Scissorhands are happy that Gary Oldman didn't want the role of Edward Scissorhands. This is not because Gary isn't a good actor. On the contrary, he is easily one of the best actors of his generation. But Edward Scissorhands was a role seemingly made for Johnny Depp. Not only that but there's also no doubt that Edward Scissorhands made Johnny Depp an A-list star.
At that point in his career, Johnny Depp was a mainstay on 21 Jump Street. He also had a number of smaller roles in big projects such as Platoon and A Nightmare On Elm Street. However, after Edward Scissorhands came out, his career skyrocketed.
One of the things that most fans may not know about Edward Scissorhands was that Johnny really wanted the role. He wanted it because, at the time, he was mostly known as a teen idol. This serious and visually unappealing role would break him out of that. But Johnny also knew that he was up against every actor of his generation. Little did he know that Gary Oldman was among his competition. All of the attention on the casting of the movie caused Johnny to not even want to try auditioning for it.
In an interview with SBIFF, Johnny credited his agent for pushing him to take the meeting with director Tim Burton. When Johnny and Tim actually met, the two instantly hit it off and Tim decided to hire Johnny soon after.
Funnily, however, Johnny could have completely missed the meeting with Tim for another reason. He actually had absolutely no idea what Tim looked like when he strolled into the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet. But once he saw the man sitting in the corner with hair like he was caught in 'an explosion at a hardware store' and chewing his spoon, he figured that was Tim.
Of course, Johnny being cast in Edward Scissorhands also kickstarted his ongoing working relationship and friendship with Tim Burton.
Soon after Edward Scissorhands was released, Johnny was cast in Benny & Joon, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and Donnie Brasco. In short, his career was on an incredible upward trajectory. A lot of this had to do with the fact that critics adored Edward Scissorhands and it had a really decent reaction among the mainstream.
So, this begs the question...
Did Gary Oldman Finally Realize What He Missed Out On?
The short answer is... 'yes'... Gary finally understood why Edward Scissorhands was great when he actually sat down to watch it in a movie theater.
"I got and see the movie and the camera pans over these multi-colored houses in this very sort of suburban neighborhood and then you see this sort of Dracula castle on the hill," Gary explained Larry King and Kevin Costner. "Literally two minutes [in to the movie] I went, 'Yeah, I get it.' I got it. I just got it too late."
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