Johnny Depp was ‘completely freaked out’ by fame as a young actor

‘Edward Scissorhands’ star Johnny Depp was ‘uber paranoid’ he botched classic Tim Burton film

Fans throw items on stage as Depp ends his performance. (Credit: Fox News Digital)

Johnny Depp had a difficult time embracing his rising star in Hollywood.

Depp, 61, admitted in an episode of an upcoming, as-yet untitled documentary about his longtime collaborator Tim Burton, that he felt uncomfortable being on display.

In the four-part series, Depp recalled beating out Tom Cruise for the lead role in the ’90s hit “Edward Scissorhands,” which is where his bond with Burton began to flourish.

“I was completely freaked out by [fame],” Depp said, per People magazine. “Paparazzi would take pictures of me.

Johnny Depp was “completely freaked out” by fame as a young star in Hollywood. (Getty Images)

“People would whisper and point their finger and stuff. I felt like sort of this raw nerve on display.”

“People would whisper and point their finger and stuff. I felt like sort of this raw nerve on display.”

— Johnny Depp

While Depp and Burton have worked together on a number of films since, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star initially questioned the director’s interest in casting him in “Edward Scissorhands.”

Johnny Depp starred in Tim Burton’s 1990 cult-classic film, “Edward Scissorhands.” (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp)

“Edward Scissorhands,” written and directed by Tim Burton, was also loosely based on Burton. (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corpo/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

“What I noticed the first time we met was he wasn’t saying very many words,” Depp said. “[Burton] would begin a sentence and I would go ‘Oh yeah,’ and then we would talk about Boris Karloff or something. We related on a lot of levels.”

He added, “After about three-and-a-half hours of a really great yak with the guy, I still thought, ‘No chance, man. No chance.”

Depp finally realized that the Edward Scissorhands character was loosely based on Burton’s own personality, and he was concerned Burton wasn’t impressed.

“I was cast in the film, but I was stepping into a kind of family that I hadn’t been totally brought into yet,” Depp said. “I was absolutely convinced that I was blowing it. Tim had rehearsed everyone else in the cast. Everyone. Not me. He didn’t rehearse me. He was excluding me from the cast and crew, isolating me.”

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have worked together on a number of movies since “Edward Scissorhands,” including the 2010 film, “Alice in Wonderland.” ( Jon Furniss/WireImage)

He finally realized Burton intentionally kept Depp isolated from the cast so that he could understand Edward’s isolated character.

“It was scary. I was uber paranoid,” Depp said. “Why is [Burton] not rehearsing me? Maybe he trusts me. No he doesn’t. He doesn’t trust you, what are you nuts? He’s going to cast someone else, man.”