Regarding Johnny Depp, who the director worked with previously on Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, Burton compares him to other very familiar horror icons, saying, "Johnny will do anything, and we’ve done some pretty nasty things. He’s perfect for this. It’s fun to work with somebody and each time [have] it be different. It gives you good energy. He gets that kind of thing like Peter Cushing and Vincent Price got, that sort of weird ambiguousness, like these guys are too busy for a personal life. They’re too busy with their work – god only knows what that is, but they don’t have time for anything else, which is a great kind of character."
Burton also cast Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Casper) in her role playing an adult. The director reveals, "She was hand chosen. She’s great. She’s got an old, silent movie actor quality. I mean, I like people who are very expressive in their eyes and can convey a lot. She’s got a real good quality of that."
Having said all that, it appears that for Burton, working with legendary veteran actor Christopher Lee was utter bliss. Burton explains, "When I first met [Lee], I sat there and I was hypnotized by him. It’s like, he is Dracula. Two hours go by and it’s like you’re hypnotized by him and his voice. It’s so great to meet people who have inspired you, and it really kind of keeps you going, kind of keeps you from getting jaded or whatever. You meet these people who have given you so much pleasure, just watching them, and they’re so great. They have so many weird stories. Like I said, I spent over two hours withy him, and I like woke up. I was like, ‘Where did the time go?’ It’s like I had been hypnotized by Dracula."
For more of the interview with Tim Burton plus the making of Sleepy Hollow, check out the upcoming premiere issue of Wicked which hits stands on October 26. That same issue also features loads of interviews with the players from Green Mile, Scream 3, House on Haunted Hill and much more.
