Veteran filmmakerTim Burtonreflected on his run of films withJohnny Depp. From one film to another, starting with 1990’sEdward Scissorhands, Depp would appear in a leading role for various movies directed by Burton. This has even extended to animation, with Depp voicing a main character in 2005’sCorpse Bride. Some of Depp’s other memorable roles in Burton films include Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd inSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Mad Hatter inAlice in Wonderland.
At the Lumière Film Festival in France (perVariety), Burton touched on why he turned to Depp so often when casting his movies. He explained how they just happened to understand one another in a certain way and this led to the two pretty much always staying on the same page creatively. Factoring in Depp’s talent, Burton then felt confident enough in the chameleon actor’s abilities to bring to life any character that he wrote, and the director says it grew to be exciting to watch how Depp would transform himself into the next role.
“I connected with him when I met him for Edward Scissorhands. He was similar to me, kind of suburban white trash. It was not even a verbal understanding. It was something I could feel. He liked the characters, he was interested in acting for the art of it, not the business of it. It was exciting to see somebody play different things, the idea of this transformation from film to film always excited me."
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Because Depp and Burton have worked together so much in the past, there have been recent rumors of a new collaboration. These days, Burton is preparing for the release of the Netflix seriesWednesday, anAddams Familyreboot with some episodes directed by theDark Shadowshelmer. Before it was announced that Fred Armisen would play Uncle Fester, there was speculation that Depp had secretly been brought in by Burton to film the role.
There have also been unsubstantiatedrumors of Burton planning aBeetlejuicesequelwith Depp featured in a main role. At the Lumière Film Festival, Burton reportedly denied these rumors, insisting that he’s not working onBeetlejuice 2at this time, much less with Depp. With that said, he iterates that he’s not retiring anytime soon and is planning to direct movies for some time to come.
“Definitely, as an artist, you should always attempt to see things in a different way, try to keep growing and creating. It’s an important part of life. Nothing I’ve done is perfect, but creating keeps you alive, and it’s something you’ll want to keep doing no matter how old you are.”
With Burton refusing to slow down with his film career anytime soon, and with Depp getting his acting career back on track, perhaps the two will collaborate again some day soon.
