‘Scissorhands’ : Once Dismissed as Teen Idol, Johnny Depp Gets New Respect

Once dismissed as a television star with a teen following, Johnny Depp is earning new respect this season as the cutlery-equipped creation of scientist Vincent Price in “Edward Scissorhands.”

With his weapon-like hands and scarred, pallid face, Depp has been drawing critical praise for his haunting portrayal in Tim Burton’s hit fantasy. It’s a far cry from the undercover cop Tom Hanson he played on Fox network’s “21 Jump Street.”

Depp, 27, recalls being overwhelmed upon reading the “Edward Scissorhands” script by Caroline Thompson.

“I started thinking about the character right away.” he said. “I kept thinking of the faces of dogs I had owned. The eyes of newborn babies. Pinocchio. All the great classics like ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ started coming to me, and they all compiled in this big mass.

“I kept thinking of a dog. Dogs have that unconditional love. If you scold a dog, he cowers in a corner. As soon as you call him back, he’s there, and all is forgotten.”

Depp’s love interest in “Edward Scissorhands” is Winona Ryder, his off-screen sweetheart.

“We had been together for six months before we started the movie,” he said. “It was kind of a lucky coincidence. She had already been attached to the project. Then I read it and thought that Tim would never want me. I was pleasantly surprised when he did.”

Depp left Miramar, Fla., to come to Hollywood in 1983, intending to be a rock musician. A friend introduced him to an agent, and Depp was cast in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” He played one of the soldiers in “Platoon,” then began his four-year, sometimes stormy association with “21 Jump Street.”

“There’s nothing bad I can say about the series,” he said. “On one level it definitely put me on the map. There’s not a better way to learn than to just do it every day on camera, five days a week.

“I’ve had no trouble with being typed. When you meet me, you realize I’m an entirely different person from the character I played on television.”