He has starred in countless hits and his voice is about to grace the big screen in the animated masterpiece, "Corpse Bride," but Johnny Depp revealed to "Extra" that his career wasn't always so picture perfect.

Depp confessed to "Extra" at the Toronto Film Festival that there was actually a time when director Tim Burton was one of the only directors in Hollywood who would hire him.

"Studios didn't want to hire me because they though I was box office poison," Depp admitted. "Poor Tim has had to fight for me every single time."

"Ever since 'Edward Scissorhands,' I knew he was amazing," Burton insisted.

"Corpse Bride" marks the fifth movie Depp and Burton have done together. Helena Bonham Carter co-stars in the film, but she revealed she had to fight for the role, which is funny, considering she and Burton have been real-life lovers for nearly four years.

Bonham told us she auditioned for "Corpse Bride," although her agent gave her another story. "My agent did say, 'You know you realize if you didn't sleep with him, you'd never have to audition. I mean they never asked Johnny to audition,'" Bonham related.

And Bonham has another Burton advantage: she and the director have a son together. "He is nearly two," she told us.

So have Depp's kids seen "Corpse Bride" yet? "They loved it," Johnny said. "It was amazing."

Next up for Depp are back-to-back "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. But don't believe those tall tales that he's opening a Las Vegas nightclub. "I mean I'm insane, but I'm not completely dumb," Depp said of the idea.

Catch "Corpse Bride" in select theaters Friday.