Random Fascinating Stories From Making Of 'Edward Scissorhands' (13 items)

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  (#1) Edward Originated As A Drawing Tim Burton Made As A Teenager

  When screenwriter Caroline Thompson first met director Tim Burton about Edward Scissorhands, all he gave her was a drawing of the titular character he created as a teenager. From this, Thompson dreamed up the character so adored by fans today.

  Burton opened up to The Guardian about how his teenaged creation took shape as a full-fledged film protagonist:

  [He] was based on a feeling of touching and communication, and I, I, I've gotten better at all that, but if you're lonely, you can grow up and have 20 million friends and be Mr Touchy-Feely, but you still have that feeling because it doesn't leave you. So I think it's those things you think you're exorcising, but you don't, really. Some feelings never leave you.
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  (#2) While The Film Oozes Quintessential Burton, The Story Was Entirely Conceived By Caroline Thompson

  Screenwriter Caroline Thompson told Dazed about how the story quickly came to fruition over drinks at the Bombay Bicycle Club in Santa Monica, CA:

  Tim told me about a character he had who had scissors instead of hands and I said, 'Stop right there. I know exactly what to do with that,' and went home. At that time, I was more of a prose writer than a screenwriter. I had published a novel that was this weird little suburban Frankenstein story and knew that (Edward Scissorhands) was my next weird suburban Frankenstein story.

  Some things come straight into your head and this one came straight into mine. Within three weeks, I had written a 70-plus page prose version for Tim to read.
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  (#3) The Film's Color Palette Was Partially Inspired By Leningrad

  Edward's outsider status is amplified by the film's candy-colored palette - literally. The film's art director, Tom Duffield, told Dazed that the film's signature hues were inspired by the chalky candy Necco Wafers.

  Duffield's reason for selecting these colors isn't as sweet as the inspiration might make it seem, however; he and production designer Bo Welch were going for "if Leningrad had an American-type housing complex:"

  That [Necco Wafers] is where we got the basis for the colors for the houses.We wanted to make it a totally controlled neighborhood. Everything was totally controlled: the colors, the look. That’s one of the great things about working for Tim, because he lets you have total control.
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  (#4) Tom Cruise Lost The Role Because He Was Obsessed With How Edward Went To The Bathroom

  There were a lot of big-name stars considered for the role of Edward Scissorhands, including Tom Cruise. Unfortunately for Cruise, his need to know the literal ins and outs of the character ended up costing him the part.

  Screenwriter Caroline Thompson told Dazed about his particular process:

  [Cruise] wanted to know how Edward went to the bathroom. He was asking the kind of questions about the character that can’t be asked for this character! Part of the delicacy of the story was not answering questions like, 'How does he go to the bathroom? How did he live without eating all those years?'

  Tom Cruise was certainly unwilling to be in the movie without those questions being answered.
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  (#5) Michael Jackson Was Eager To Play Edward

  According to the Los Angeles Times, Michael Jackson eagerly pursued the titular role in Edward Scissorhands. It didn't pan out for the pop star, reportedly because director Tim Burton didn't get back to him, but Jackson was clearly still a fan of the film.

  Jackson had the scissors that actor Johnny Depp sported during filming. He even hired screenwriter Caroline Thompson to write a film of his own to star in, but it never made it past development. 
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  (#6) The Crew Redecorated An Entire Neighborhood In Florida

  In order to create the whimsical pastel world of Edward Scissorhands, the production team had to find a somewhat plain suburban area in which to film. They settled on a small town in Carpenter's Run, FL, roughly five miles away from Tampa. Of the 52 houses in the neighborhood, 50 had permanent residents, who allowed the crew to decorate their houses for the duration of filming.

  Some residents, however, gave the crew a hard time. Art director Tom Duffield explained to Dazed:

  We had a couple of people that were holding out, saying, 'I want more money!' so right up to the last day there were a couple of houses that didn't go along with the plan. One or two days before, the two houses figured they weren't getting any money, so they [caved] and we had to rush out and paint the houses and put in the bushes.
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  (#7) Several A-List Actors Were Offered The Titular Role

  Johnny Depp, who had been pigeonholed as a teen heartthrob thanks to his role on 21 Jump Street, was not director Tim Burton's first choice to play Edward. Fox wanted a big name, like Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks, to draw in bigger audiences. Other big names, like Robert Downey Jr. and Jim Carrey, also became interested in the film. Burton, however, wasn't keen on casting a well-known actor, and after seeing Depp's work, he was sold.

  Even after he was cast, Depp was afraid that other actors who had been put up for the role, like Tom Hanks, would come in and replace him. He recounted how he thought he'd be fired two weeks into filming Edward Scissorhands:

  I can remember when we were doing Scissorhands we were living in this sort of resort, some kind of country club thing, and there was a knock on the door... one afternoon while everyone was off rehearsing. There were two young girls at the door and I thought, 'Oh, they found me and maybe they want me to sign something, I don't know.'

  So, I opened the door and said, 'How do you do?' and they said, 'Hi. Is Tom Hanks here? Does he live here?' I said, 'What? No. Not yet.' And I was convinced that Hanks would be replacing me. I was convinced. It was one of the most frightening moments in my career.
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  (#8) Burton Asked Robert Smith Of The Cure To Do The Soundtrack

  Given their similar aesthetic, it's no wonder director Tim Burton was a big fan of new wave, goth-rock band The Cure. As production was gearing up on Edward Scissorhands, Burton asked The Cure singer Robert Smith if he would create the film's soundtrack.

  According to keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, who worked with the band on-and-off early in their career, Smith ultimately passed on the project:

  Another thing I remember but I don’t know how widely known this is was that Tim Burton had asked Robert for The Cure to do the soundtrack to Edward Scissorhands and the script was lying around the studio. I don’t know why we didn’t or what happened, I don’t think we knew who he was at the time.

  Fortunately for Burton, the two did eventually have the chance to work together; Smith provided his take on the Alice in Wonderland track "Very Good Advice" for Burton's 2010 live-action reimagining. 
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  (#9) Thompson Partially Based Edward On Her Dog

  Screenwriter Caroline Thompson revealed an intriguing piece of trivia to Variety while discussing the film on its 15th anniversary. "Edward’s character was based on my dog. People love their dogs, so just think of him as the best dog you ever had!," she said. 

  Thompson explained why she based Edward Scissorhands on her Border Collie to Pop Sugar:

  Edward was based on Tim. It's kind of a love letter to Tim, but most of his attributes were based on my dog. I had this beautiful Border Collie mix when I was in college. When I was 18, I took this dog to college with me and she had a presence and a character. I swear to God if she had a larynx, she would've talked. I mean, she was that involved in my success. She was everywhere I was, sitting next to me and enjoying everything I was enjoying, but not able to quite do it because she was a dog. And that's how Edward is. He's just sort of like, 'Uhhh, OK I want to be here, but how?'
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  (#10) Burton Originally Conceived Of The Film As A Musical

  In the early stages of development, director Tim Burton wanted Edward Scissorhands to be a musical. He thought the more bizarre and fantastical elements of the story would be more believable to audiences in song form. Screenwriter Caroline Thompson told Variety that in her original treatment for the film, there were actual musical interludes, including lyrics. One of the songs was called "I Can’t Handle It."

  Ultimately, Burton decided against the idea, which Thompson believes "better served" the film. She also admitted that she "wrote some really bad lyrics" in the first pass. 
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  (#11) The Film Marked Vincent Price's Final Theatrical Appearance

  Director Tim Burton had long been an admirer of horror legend Vincent Price before he worked with him in Edward Scissorhands. 

  Burton was obsessed with Price as a child, and he told the Los Angeles Times about Price's profound impact on him:

  I can’t tell you what [Price] meant to me growing up. This sounds dramatic but he helped me live... When you’re a child and a teenager it’s not unusual to go through a melodramatic phase. Some people find release through heavy metal or whatever. But by watching [Price’s] films, there was a catharsis for me. You’re not just watching a low-budget Edgar Allan Poe movie, there’s something else there that’s not on the screen. I channeled my melodrama into that, as opposed to [self-destruction] probably.

  Burton wrote the role of the Inventor - the man who creates Edward - specifically for Price. It was Price's last role before he passed in 1993 at the age of 82. 
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  (#12) Winona Ryder Was The Very First Actor To Be Cast

  Winona Ryder, who had previously acted in director Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice, was the first actor cast in the film.

  At the time, not only were Ryder and Johnny Depp dating, but they were engaged. According to Burton, the star-crossed lovers casting was not intentional. 
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  (#13) A Producer Of The Film Felt It Was Fox's Answer To 'E.T.'

  The studio released Edward Scissorhands in December 1990, in time for the holiday season. Just before release, Fox Chairman Joe Roth told the Los Angeles Times they had high hopes for the film, even likening it to E.T.: "I hate to use the word 'E.T.' - that’s sacrilege... We have to let it find its place. We want to be careful not to hype the movie out of the universe."

  While the studio opted not to market it as aggressively as E.T., it did go on to be both a critical darling and box office success.

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