20 Things You Didn’t Know About The Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise

Thousands of young actors auditioned for A Nightmare on Elm Street, including Jackie Earle Haley, who was in his early 20s at the time. He was accompanied to the audition by his friend, a young guy who had never acted before by the name of Johnny Depp. Perhaps you've heard of him.

Sadly, Haley did not get a callback, but while they were there, director Wes Craven spotted Johnny Depp and asked him to audition for a part. He of course ended up being cast as Glen, his first major acting role which would help launch his career.

Depp had a lot of luck in a number of ways, because he was chosen partly because Craven’s daughter thought he was beautiful and that girls would go crazy for him. Clearly, she had a good eye.

Flash forward to 26 years later, and Jackie Earl Haley would finally get to star in the franchise he auditioned for, landing the role of Freddy in the 2010 remake. Sadly for him, though, that movie was critically reviled, and now New Line is rebooting it again without him. 

Poor guy. Some things just aren’t meant to be.