Johnny Depp had a difficult time embracing his rising star in Hollywood.
Depp, 61, admitted in an episode of an upcoming, as-yet untitled documentary about his longtime collaborator Tim Burton, that he felt uncomfortable being on display.
In the four-part series, Depp recalled beating out Tom Cruise for the lead role in the ’90s hit « Edward Scissorhands, » which is where his bond with Burton began to flourish.
« I was completely freaked out by [fame], » Depp said, per People magazine. « Paparazzi would take pictures of me.
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Johnny Depp was « completely freaked out » by fame as a young star in Hollywood. (Getty Images)
« People would whisper and point their finger and stuff. I felt like sort of this raw nerve on display. »
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« People would whisper and point their finger and stuff. I felt like sort of this raw nerve on display. »
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While Depp and Burton have worked together on a number of films since, the « Pirates of the Caribbean » star initially questioned the director’s interest in casting him in « Edward Scissorhands. »
Johnny Depp starred in Tim Burton’s 1990 cult-classic film, « Edward Scissorhands. » (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp)
« Edward Scissorhands, » written and directed by Tim Burton, was also loosely based on Burton. (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corpo/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
« What I noticed the first time we met was he wasn’t saying very many words, » Depp said. « [Burton] would begin a sentence and I would go ‘Oh yeah,’ and then we would talk about Boris Karloff or something. We related on a lot of levels. »
He added, « After about three-and-a-half hours of a really great yak with the guy, I still thought, ‘No chance, man. No chance. »
Depp finally realized that the Edward Scissorhands character was loosely based on Burton’s own personality, and he was concerned Burton wasn’t impressed.
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« I was cast in the film, but I was stepping into a kind of family that I hadn’t been totally brought into yet, » Depp said. « I was absolutely convinced that I was blowing it. Tim had rehearsed everyone else in the cast. Everyone. Not me. He didn’t rehearse me. He was excluding me from the cast and crew, isolating me. »
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have worked together on a number of movies since « Edward Scissorhands, » including the 2010 film, « Alice in Wonderland. » ( Jon Furniss/WireImage)
He finally realized Burton intentionally kept Depp isolated from the cast so that he could understand Edward’s isolated character.
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« It was scary. I was uber paranoid, » Depp said. « Why is [Burton] not rehearsing me? Maybe he trusts me. No he doesn’t. He doesn’t trust you, what are you nuts? He’s going to cast someone else, man. »
