Why Tim Burton turned down Tom Cruise for the role of ‘Edward Scissorhands’
Of all of Johnny Depp’s excellent roles in film, perhaps a case could be made for Edward Scissorhands being his most memorable. Yet, the studios that made the film had actually wanted Tom Cruise to take on the iconic Tim Burton character.
20th Century Fox had not just suggested but actually insisted that Burton meet with Cruise to discuss him taking on the role. Burton had not been keen on going ahead with the meeting, as all along, he had Johnny Depp in mind to play Edward. However, Fox demanded that Burton at least meet with Cruise just in case he changed his mind. The meeting evidently did not go well, seeing as Cruise did not get the part, and now we know several reasons why Burton opted not to cast him.
The issues largely surrounded the details of the story and its logistics. Apparently, in the meeting between Cruise and Burton, Cruise frequently questioned the logistics of the tale and expressed a wish for the film to contain a happier ending. Naturally, given Burton’s reputation, this was never going to be the case.
Caroline Thompson, the film’s scriptwriter, also felt that Cruise’s misunderstanding of the script led him not to get the role. She said: “[He] wanted to know how Edward went to the bathroom. He was asking the kind of questions about the character that can’t be asked for this character! Part of the delicacy of the story was not answering questions like, ‘How does he go to the bathroom? How did he live without eating all those years?’ Tom Cruise was certainly unwilling to be in the movie without those questions being answered.”
Cruise had wanted to change the melancholic ending of the film before he put pen to paper for joining the project. Yet Burton always felt that he shared a kinship with Depp over humour and emotiveness. They were able to develop Edward’s character together, and it has been said that Edward had actually been representative of Burton’s life.
Cruise’s demand to change the ending of the film was the final nail in the coffin. Burton had the idea of the film circulating in his creativity since he was young. With the care and attention to detail that Depp would provide, Edward Scissorhands would go on to have the right actor in place and would subsequently become a fan-favourite of Burton’s.
