Johnny Depp made it big with his lead role as Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton’s 1990 eponymous film. Depp, however, was only one of several actors considered to play the introverted humanoid Edward. Other prospective actors included Tom Hanks, Gary Oldman, Tom Cruise and even Jim Carrey. Carrey was a relatively unknown actor at the time, considering he hadn’t starred in his trio of successful 1994 films: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.
Carrey lost the lead role of Edward to Cruise, but the Top Gun star was sent home after his incessantly unusual questions about how Edward ate and went to the bathroom. Depp replaced Cruise, but recalled in a 1999 interview on Charlie Rose that the most “frightening moment” of his career was when he believed Hanks would replace him. Depp’s casting as Edward Scissorhands coincidentally wasn’t the last time Carrey lost a role to the future Pirates of the Caribbean star.
Depp, the former teen heartthrob, expanded his career beyond the horizon of his frequent collaborations with Burton. Consequently, he was cast in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series as Captain Jack Sparrow, starting with the first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which released in 2003. Like Edward Scissorhands, plenty of big stars were considered for the role of Captain Jack.
The extensive line-up of prospective Jacks included Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken, Cary Elwes and even Robert De Niro. While it’s hard to imagine the frequent Martin Scorsese star, who often played gangsters, in a film about swashbuckling pirates, it actually was De Niro’s decision to turn down the role. The Goodfellas actor wasn’t a firm believer the film would be financially successful. De Niro was ultimately proven wrong… incredibly wrong.
Once again, Carrey was up for grabs on another part that went to Depp. However, this time it was different. Carrey not only auditioned for the role of Jack Sparrow, but was actually offered the part. Unfortunately, he had to turn down the role due to a conflicting schedule with his 2003 film Bruce Almighty. Carrey’s decision was arguably for the best, considering his slapstick comedy nature, which could have contrasted with Jack Sparrow’s personality.
Depp gave a stellar performance all around in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Likewise, Carrey was enjoyable to watch in both Bruce Almighty and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events the following year. The long-term commitment to a role like Jack Sparrow may not have been for Carrey, considering he did not return for the sequel for The Mask. Although, Carrey can be seen as Doctor Eggman in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog sequel.
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