. That’s no easy feat when his list of acting credits spans decades and encompasses several globally successful projects, from the franchise to the universe. Looking back through Depp’s impressive career, it seems that there was one role that kicked everything off; one film that turned Depp from just another teen heartthrob to a serious actor sought after for everything quirky and eccentric going in Hollywood: .

Starring as the titular role in the Tim Burton romantic fantasy, Depp won over legions of fans while portraying Edward. Even though , the general consensus is that no one could have played Edward like Depp did. So why did he think he was going to be fired from the set? Read on to find out!

No Rehearsals

Rehearsals give actors a chance to iron out any issues that they might have with the scripts they’re performing and establish chemistry with their co-stars. They also offer the opportunity for the actor to practice until they master each scene. So it’s easy to understand that when you don’t get a rehearsal as an actor, you’re probably going to feel anxious about it.

After starring in Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp revealed that director Tim Burton rehearsed every actor in the project, but not him. “Before we did , he rehearsed everyone,” Depp recalled (via ). “He didn’t rehearse me. He didn’t really know exactly what I was going to do when I walked on the set.”

This lack of security , or whether he was going to be fired and replaced, even though .

Doubts About Staying On

One Depp started filming the cult classic holiday movie, he was sure he was going to lose the job based on a lack of rehearsal and his unique acting style that may not have worked for the director. After, he opened up about feeling that way while he was filming and as well.

“I spent the first two weeks of , and , and in fact thinking that I was going to be fired—that I was going to be replaced,” the actor said (via). “Because, I just thought, ‘There’s no way I can get away with this. There’s just no way.’”

Who He Thought Would Replace Him

Interestingly, Depp believed that he would be replaced by an incredibly famous face: Tom Hanks. The seed was planted when two girls appeared at his door during filming and asked to see Tom Hanks, under the impression that he was on the set.

“There were two young girls at the door and I figured, ‘Oh, they found me and maybe they want me to sign something. I don’t know,’” Depp reminisced (via ). “So, I opened the door. I 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.”

Depp And Burton’s Friendship

Luckily, it was only a rumor that led the girls to assume Tom Hanks was on the set. Depp did indeed stay on as Edward Scissorhands, which ended up being one of the most pivotal and iconic roles of his career.

In hindsight, it’s interesting that Depp believed his style wouldn’t work for director Tim Burton, as the two creatives have and have worked together continuously on eight projects. Some of the most iconic films that they’ve made together include , , and .

Winona Ryder Was Scared About Working With Johnny Depp Initially

Depp’s fear of losing his job isn’t the only behind-the-scenes secret to emerge from the set of . His co-star Winona Ryder, whom he later dated, was apprehensive about working with him at first because .

In the book , Ryder admitted, “Working with Johnny turned out to be great, but I was scared and nervous about it. I mean, if there’s one person that I want to impress with my acting, it’s him. So there was a lot of insecurity for the first couple of days, but it turned out to be a motivating situation.”

The Success Of Edward Scissorhands

It’s a good thing that Depp was allowed to stay on as Edward Scissorhands because the film went on to achieve huge success and bring a lot of joy to fans all over the world. To this day, is featured in movie marathons in the holidays and inspires Halloween costumes among fans of the cult classic.