Gary Oldman is one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, with a filmography spanning multiple genres and decades. Notably, Oldman has passed up some high-profile roles over his decades-long career. One of those roles happened to be one of Johnny Depp’s best Tim Burton collaborations - Edward Scissorhands. Decades after the cult classic’s release, the actor revealed why he wasn’t interested in the role and recalled his reaction to seeing the movie for the first time.
The Oscar winner had already proven himself in Hollywood with roles in Sid and Nancy and The Firm. Tim Burton had a successful record with quirky hits like Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and Beetlejuice. So a team-up with the two forces seemed inevitable. For years, it’s been rumored that Oldman was Burton’s original choice for the title character. However, the JFK star cleared the air during a Q&A session on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, saying:
I wasn’t offered the role, but at the time, my agent was like, ‘It’s this interesting filmmaker and what have you.’ I don’t want to waste someone’s time. I don’t want to go in and meet them and then, if they like me… And then offer me the part, I think it’s rude to then go, ‘I’ve spent two hours with you, and no, I don’t want to do your film.’ … I didn’t go in and meet Tim Burton, because I didn’t get the script. I read it and thought, ‘There’s a castle on a hill, this guy’s got scissors, there’s an Avon lady. … I don’t get it.’
Given how surreal and fantastical Burton’s work can be, it’s understandable that Oldman didn’t get the set-up or message behind the comedy. He didn’t understand the director’s vision, but Johnny Depp did. However, given the Dark Knight actor’s acting skills and film choices, the Beetlejuice director felt the acclaimed actor might be the right fit for the mute and bizarre character.
After passing on the meeting with Burton, the Hollywood A-lister caught the cult classic in the theaters like many moviegoers. He remembered his first reaction to seeing the Johnny Depp-led film a year later, commenting:
I then cut to a year or whatever later. I think I was seeing the movie, and the camera tracks over all those multi-colored houses, and it ends on this castle in the background. And I went, ‘Yeah, I get it.’
Like many Tim Burton films, Oldman had to see the idea realized to get Burton’s intentions. Luckily, things worked out for Gary Oldman and Johnny Depp, as 1990 proved to be a breakout year for both actors. Not only did Depp score with Edward Scissorhands, but also the cult classic Cry-Baby, in which both films showed him as a leading Hollywood man and character actor. Oldman fared just as well as he starred in the acclaimed neo-noir State of Grace. He followed the film with 1991’s JFK and 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Oldman had a momentous 2023 after receiving acclaim for playing President Harry S. Truman in the blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer. You can catch the awards-season darling through an Amazon Prime Video subscription or on DVD and Blu-Ray. Right now, the Sid and Nancy star doesn’t have any projects lined up, but there are multiple upcoming movies hitting theaters and streaming in 2024.
