Edward Scissorhands
“Edward Scissorhands” (1990)

The character was based on a drawing that director Tim Burton did as a young man. The scissorhands were meant to be an allegory for the loneliness he felt growing up.

Ichabod Crane
“Sleepy Hollow” (1999)

Depp’s character essentially wears slight variations on a single costume (these glasses withstanding) throughout the movie, because people back then had minimal clothing.

Willy Wonka
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005)

Contrary to urban legend, Depp didn’t base the eccentric factory owner on Michael Jackson. The character wore gloves because, Depp reasoned, he was a germophobe.

Sweeney Todd
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007)

Depp told EW that his character’s shock of white hair came from “the idea was that he’d had this hideous trauma, from being sent away, locked away. That streak of white hair became the shock of that rage.”

The Mad Hatter
“Alice in Wonderland” (2010)

It was Depp’s idea that his character’s clothes should change with his mood. His hat was based on a real one from the period and was made by a milliner in London.