Tom Cruise Missed Out On This $86M Tim Burton Film For The Most Ridiculous Reason
Turns out, working with Cruise is a mission impossible enough by itself.
It's not uncommon in Hollywood to hear stories about directors who are so particular about what they do that it's impossible to work with them.
We learn to accept and appreciate their fussiness as part of their craft and a side effect of their artistic vision.
It's much less common for actors to be so annoying that directors kick them out of the movie. However, Tom Cruise proved this to be true back in 1990.
Few people know that Johnny Depp was not the first choice for Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands.
Because of the very specific visuals that all of Burton's films have, it is very hard to imagine them any other way than the way they were released.
One would say that it is impossible to imagine anyone else as Edward, but back 30+ years ago the studio 20th Century Fox was not convinced.
As the ones in charge of the budget, they convinced Burton to look at other options for the role, including Tom Cruise.
Both the director himself and the film's screenwriter, Caroline Thompson, recall that they did not find Cruise at all suitable for the role.
Because Burton had been carefully crafting this story for years, he wasn't willing to give up the magic for the sake of reality.
While Cruise was mostly interested in how Edward Scissorhands functions (eats, drinks, and even goes to the bathroom), he completely missed the parts of the character that really mattered.
It was an instant turnoff, which led to an even bigger disagreement.
While Burton stuck to the script, which was seemingly perfect for the movie he had in mind, including a somewhat sad ending, Cruise reportedly wanted a happier ending.
It's unknown what exactly he had in mind, but whatever it was didn't stick, as he didn't get the part.
Moved by his first instinct, Tim Burton decided to give it to Johnny Depp, and it was the best decision he could have made.
Edward Scissorhands was a theatrical success, grossing $86 million at the box office, and remains a favorite of the director's for many viewers.
Sources: Dazed