Movies - TV
Casting Johnny Depp In A Nightmare On Elm Street Came Down To Wes Craven's Daughter
By MATT RAINIS
Wes Craven achieved massive success with his hit “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” a film that also gave Johnny Depp his first big break. However, Depp didn’t attain the role with acting talent alone, as Craven once explained in an interview, he took a chance on Depp because his daughter told him to.
As Craven explained that his 14-year-old daughter helped him cast the role of Glen, stating, "I had the quarterback, the surfer-looking guy, and I had a picture of Johnny Depp that I happened to toss into the car and showed my daughter and her friend. I [...] asked them which they liked best for Glen and they instantly pointed to Johnny.“
“I asked “why?” He had greasy hair and nicotine stains!” said Craven, adding, “They both said because he was beautiful. So I was smart enough to say OK." Craven was smart to acknowledge that when it comes to casting cute teen boys, there simply is no better resource than teen girls.