Stephen Baldwin has opened up about a Hollywood story he says he kept to himself for nearly 30 years.
The actor has broken his silence about his widely reported exit from the 1998 romantic comedy “The Object of My Affection,” starring Jennifer Aniston. Baldwin was originally cast as Vince McBride, the boyfriend of Aniston’s character, Nina Borowski. However, just days into filming in 1997, reports emerged that he had been fired over “different interpretations of the part,” according to Entertainment Weekly. He was ultimately replaced by “Mad About You” actor John Pankow.
Now, Baldwin has shared his version of events. During a recent episode of his “One Bad Movie” podcast, he claimed he lost the role following a creative dispute. Namely, Stephen Baldwin alleged he was fired because he was considered “funnier” than the movie’s star, Jennifer Aniston.
The Producer’s Comment Baldwin Says Changed Everything
On the podcast episode, Stephen Baldwin told his podcast guest T.J. Miller he had auditioned to play “the sidekick, almost boyfriend of Jennifer Aniston.”
“I’ve never told this story before,” Baldwin said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “So I get there and I’m me. Jennifer’s cute and whatever. I got a girl. I’m good.”
Baldwin claimed that on the second day of filming, a producer visited his trailer during lunch.
“He goes, ‘There’s a problem. You can’t be funnier than Jennifer,'” Baldwin recalled.
The actor said he was stunned by the remark.
“I go, ‘Is this a joke? This is a comedy movie! Am I about to get punked? What do you even mean by that?'”
According to USA Today, Stephen Baldwin said he was told to tone down his performance and “just say the words.” He described the experience as being “castrated comedically.”
He also said the criticism felt like his face was being “mauled.”
“Now you’ve, like, just mauled my face like a [expletive] Wolverine. You’re asking me to, like, just numb myself?”
Despite following the instruction, Baldwin said he struggled with it.
“You hired me to play a role, and now you’re telling me not to play that role,” he recalled thinking.
Baldwin said he was ultimately dismissed from the production.
“They let me go. They told me I could go home. And that was all cool. But that’s just awkward.”
Baldwin Says Jennifer Aniston Wasn’t Responsible
During the podcast episode, Miller suggested the complaint probably did not come from Aniston because “she’s also really funny.”
Baldwin made it clear he was not blaming Aniston for what happened.
According to USA Today, he did not claim the actress had any involvement in his departure from “The Object of My Affection.” Instead, he said his comments were not meant to “shred anybody.”
“This is just simply to say ‘Hollywood is Hollywood,'” Baldwin said.
Stephen Baldwin’s Lost Role in “The Object of My Affection”
“The Object of My Affection” is based on Stephen McCauley’s novel of the same name. It stars Jennifer Aniston as Nina, a New York social worker who becomes pregnant by her boyfriend. Nina decides she’d rather raise the baby with her gay roommate, George, played by Paul Rudd.
John Pankow ultimately played Nina’s boyfriend after Stephen Baldwin’s departure.
During a 1998 interview, Aniston admitted the role both “challenged and intimidated” her, according to USA Today.
“It’s a very complex situation and very necessary to tell it truthfully and give it everything it deserved,” she said.
She later described making the film as “the most incredible experience I’ve had to date as an actress.”
Baldwin Says It Wasn’t the Only Time
According to Entertainment Weekly, Baldwin told Miller that losing “The Object of My Affection” reminded him of another early career setback.
He said he was also fired from Brian De Palma‘s 1989 war drama “Casualties of War.”
“I’ve created a character and they went, ‘It’s not working… here’s your money. Go home,'” Baldwin recalled.
He said the experience on “The Object of My Affection” was similar.
“They didn’t say, ‘It’s not working’ first,” he said. “They just went, ‘There’s a problem.'”
Watch Stephen Baldwin Tell the Story
Baldwin shares the story in full during the latest episode of his “One Bad Movie” podcast. In the clip, he and guest T.J. Miller swap behind-the-scenes stories about working in Hollywood, including Miller’s experience with Jennifer Aniston and Baldwin’s account of losing his role in “The Object of My Affection.”
Watch a clip from the podcast episode here.
