Johnny Depp Took Three Roles from Tom Cruise — One Became Iconic
Years later, Cruise got his revenge by landing one of his best roles — one that Depp had also pursued.
The late 1980s and 1990s in Hollywood produced a whole collection of films that remain cult classics to this day — the kind even the boldest remake-hungry directors hesitate to touch. As now, cinema at the time had its favourite leading men — and top positions were held by Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp, both of whom were highly sought-after for major roles.
Their rivalry escalated to the point where each actor ended up 'stealing' roles from the other: Depp secured three parts Cruise had been eyeing, while Cruise later landed one — but a truly iconic one.
Johnny Depp landed three roles over Tom Cruise — including Edward Scissorhands
The 'showdown' began with John Waters’ 1990 film Cry-Baby, where Cruise had at one point been considered for the lead — although it's hard to picture him in any of Waters’ deliberately eccentric works. Then Depp was cast in Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton’s fantasy melodrama, for which, ironically, Cruise was also among those considered for the title role.
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Finally, a few years later, Depp again edged out Cruise, this time landing the lead in the crime drama Donnie Brasco. In that case, however, it was simply a matter of Cruise’s packed schedule preventing his involvement in the production.
In return, Tom Cruise took the role of Lestat in Interview with the Vampire
Things took an unexpected turn in 1993 when Depp was denied a role he had wanted — that of the vampire Lestat in Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire. Cruise’s participation turned out to be a defining moment in his career — the film allowed him to break away from his usual action-hero image, and Interview with the Vampire remains one of Cruise’s finest performances to date.
