{"id":769401,"date":"2026-09-13T14:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/769401\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T14:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:10:15","slug":"in-1990-gary-oldman-turned-down-a-144m-cult-classic-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/769401\/","title":{"rendered":"In 1990, Gary Oldman turned down a $144m cult classic role"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gary<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Gaumont Buena Vista International<\/p>\n

Sun 13 September 2026 10:34, UK <\/p>\n

Considering the fact that Gary Oldman<\/a> is one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, it\u2019s only right that he has been offered more roles than he could ever take on, including one that fortunately fell into the hands of Johnny Depp, one that would forever change the latter\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Depp is now widely considered one of the most established actors of his generation, having taken on a whole heap of roles that, at the start of his career, looked entirely impossible. The good-looking actor was tipped for a usual leading man trajectory based on his sex appeal. But one role would allow Depp to break the mould, something Oldman would have likely wanted too. <\/p>\n

Looking at Oldman\u2019s career, one will find quality of all varieties. Whether in his early British roles in the likes of Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears or his emergence in the hearts of Americans with State of Grace, JFK, and Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula, it\u2019s certain that Oldman mastered the acting profession, even in the early moments of his career.<\/p>\n

Still, despite the many undoubted wins that Oldman has enjoyed throughout his career, there has been at least one loss, well, from a commercial perspective at least. The truth is that Oldman was once considered for the lead role in Tim Burton\u2019s Edward Scissorhands, but when he turned it down, it eventually landed in the lap of Johnny Depp, who invariably made it one of his most iconic moments.<\/p>\n

Released in 1990, Edward Scissorhands saw Depp play the titular role of an unfinished artificial humanoid made with scissors rather than hands. When a suburban family takes him in, he soon falls in love with their teenage daughter but finds it difficult to assimilate into ordinary society. <\/p>\n

\"Edward<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ 20th Century Fox<\/p>\n

While Depp would eventually deliver one of his career-defining moments as Edward, he was not the first to be considered for the role<\/a>, as the likes of Tom Cruise, William Hurt, John Cusack, Tom Hanks and even Michael Jackson were said to have been either interested or actually contacted.<\/p>\n

One person who was offered the role was Oldman, but when he read the script, he found difficulty properly understanding it, telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast, \u201cI read it though, there\u2019s a castle on the hill, and this guy has got scissors, then there\u2019s an Avon lady\u2026you know, I don\u2019t get it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Seeking to remedy his confusion, the London-born actor set out for a meeting with Burton to see if things could be clarified.<\/p>\n

However, even upon meeting with the director, Oldman was still unsure whether the film would work and decided to pass up on the role offer. He\u2019d also once told Larry King, \u201cI went, \u2018This is ridiculous. A castle at the end of this road, and then an Avon lady comes around selling makeup, and this kid\u2019s got scissor-hands. This is nuts! I don\u2019t get this at all.\u2019 And I ended up not doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Oldman passed up, though, was invariably Depp\u2019s gain. After Burton toyed with the idea of Tom Cruise, who wanted a happy ending<\/a>, Depp was eventually given the chance to take on the gothy character. The rest, concerning Edward Scissorhands, is history, and it marked the beginning of a long collaboration between Depp and Burton.<\/p>\n

Oldman might have felt a twinge of regret, considering that Edward Scissorhands went on to make $86million at the box office from just a $20m budget, meaning that he would have been onto a huge paycheque. When you add on to this the huge amount of physical sales, the total for the movie comes closer to $144m<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But perhaps the biggest loss for Oldman was that he isn\u2019t a part of the movie\u2019s artistic legacy. Depp\u2019s role as Scissorhands set him up as a tortured star that didn\u2019t necessarily need to fit into the heartthrob cookie-cutter that had been laid out for him. Oldman, too, could have rejected his place as an arch British villain had he gained the tear-stained job. <\/p>\n

Still, Oldman couldn\u2019t have every role under the sun, could he, and had to share the wealth a little bit with Depp.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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