In hindsight, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Johnny Depp portraying Edward Scissorhands. Both Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise don’t feel like they’re enough of oddballs to take on that kind of role. With the character’s pasty white skin and jet-black hair, one could almost see Michael Jackson in the part, but it didn’t work out for one reason or another. It wouldn’t be the last time Jackson set his sights on becoming a genuine Hollywood player.
Jackson was one of many actors almost cast as Spider-Man, even getting a meeting with Stan Lee to discuss producing a Spider-Man film with him in the titular role. Steven Spielberg thought about casting Jackson as Peter Pan in “Hook” before the story changed considerably, at which point Jackson was no longer interested. Given Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, it makes sense why he would consider that particular role.
Just like Jackson could connect with Peter Pan, Depp connected with Edward Scissorhands. While he was initially cagey about pursuing the part, it genuinely spoke to him, as he states in the documentary, “The writing was beautiful. The character was beautiful. What I suppose [attracted] me emotionally was that Edward was me. It’s exactly what I should be doing.” The Tim Burton docuseries premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and should hopefully become more readily accessible in the near future.
