What Made Gary Oldman Hesitate to Play Edward Scissorhands?
Seems crazy, huh?
I honestly can’t believe this. Gary Oldman – yes, the chameleon himself – almost played Edward Scissorhands. The role that made Johnny Depp a Tim Burton icon? That one. And Gary Oldman said no because he didn’t understand the script.
While promoting Slow Horses Season 5, Oldman told The Hollywood Reporter that he was on Burton’s shortlist back in the late ’80s:
"I was on Tim Burton's list for the role of Edward Scissorhands. It was a small list. My agent thought I had a really good chance of getting it. They sent the script over, and I basically said, 'I don't get it.'"
He didn’t meet Burton, didn’t even try. Why? Because at the time, Burton wasn’t the Tim Burton we know now. So Oldman reads this quirky little script about an Avon lady and a boy with scissor hands, and he’s like: nope, not my cup of tea.
And part of me gets it. Without Burton’s full filmography in your head, that script probably seemed… bizarre. But another part of me is screaming: Gary Oldman as Edward Scissorhands?! That could’ve been incredible.
Why Gary Oldman Could Have Perfectly Played Edward Scissorhands
Absolutely. If anyone can disappear into a role, it’s Oldman. From Dracula to Zorg in The Fifth Element to Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, his transformations are legendary.
I can totally picture him as Edward – the fragile innocence, the outsider energy, the tragedy. Would his version be darker? Probably. Stranger? Maybe. Sadder? 100%.
How Gary Oldman Finally Understood Edward Scissorhands
Years later, when Edward Scissorhands hit theatres, Oldman had his lightbulb moment:
"Then Scissorhands came out, and I went to the cinema to watch it. With that opening shot — all those brightly colored houses, and then the camera pans up to the castle-like thing on the hill — within two minutes I went, 'I get it!'"
Too late, Gary. Depp had already carved his way into movie history.
Still, I can’t stop wondering: what would that version have looked like? Honestly, apart from Depp, Oldman is the only actor I can imagine pulling off that level of transformation.
