Stephen Baldwin has had his fair share of career ups and downs, but one of the most awkward moments was when he was fired for being funnier than Jennifer Aniston. The actor recently recounted the incident on his podcast, sharing new details.
Stephen Baldwin Claims He Was Fired for Being Funnier Than Jennifer Aniston
On his 'One Bad Movie' podcast, Baldwin revealed a strange career encounter. He said he was fired from a film for a peculiar reason: "It was when I was really young—coming up. I auditioned to play the sidekick, almost the boyfriend of Jennifer Aniston."
The 60-year-old actor explained that he had originally been cast as Vince McBride in The Object of My Affection, playing the boyfriend of Nina Borowski, portrayed by Aniston. He added, "After lunch, this producer comes to my trailer and goes, 'There's a problem. You can't be funnier than Jennifer.'"
Baldwin initially thought they were joking, but they gave him instructions to simply deliver his lines without adding humor, leaving him frazzled. Feeling "mauled, castrated, comedically," he wondered, "You hired me to play a role, and now you're telling me not to play that role."
Stephen Baldwin States That the Team Fired Him After Lunch
After lunch, he was informed he was being removed from the film. "They let me go. They told me I could go home. It was all cool, but that was just awkward."
About 'The Object of My Affection'
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the film follows a social worker who becomes pregnant by her boyfriend but chooses to raise her child with her gay roommate, played by Paul Rudd, leading to complicated feelings. John Pankow replaced Baldwin a few weeks later. The film also stars Allison Janney, Alan Alda, and Tim Daly.
