Playing Against Type: Johnny Depp — then best known for 21 Jump Street — as Edward, and the usually nerdy Anthony Michael Hall as Jim.
Which is kind of funny, since Depp's close involvement with Burton over recent years has made him famous for this type of role as well.
Ditto for Winona Ryder too. Before this she had mostly played dark and moody teenagers in Heathers, Mermaids and Beetlejuice while Kim is more of a Girl Next Door.
Truth in Television: The subdivision wasn't a set built for the film. It's a real subdivision that was repainted shortly after construction and used in the film. It was "restored" after the film and is a normal subdivision named Carpenter's Run in central Florida now, sans castle, of course. It's pretty typical of the sort of bland, repetitive, carbon-copy, subdivisions that sprung up in the housing boom in Florida from when the film was made until the early 2000s. It's exactly why Tim Burton chose it to represent the kind of bland, repetitive, carbon-copy, Anytown, USA stereotype.
What Could Have Been: Tom Cruise was offered the role of Edward, but he turned it down because he thought the role was too feminine.
Vincent Price was intended to have a much larger role in the film, but died during production.
Rumor has it that Jim Carrey wanted the role of Edward badly, so much that he auditioned more than once.
