Stephen Baldwin says he was fired from rom-com for being funnier than Jennifer Aniston

Stephen Baldwin said on his podcast One Bad Movie that he was originally cast as Vince McBride, the boyfriend of Jennifer Aniston’s Nina Borowski, in the 1998 film The Object of My Affection, directed by Nicholas Hytner. “I get there and I’m me,” he recalled. “Jennifer’s cute and whatever.

I got a girl. I’m good.” On the second day of shooting, a producer told him there was “a problem,” Baldwin said. “He goes, ‘You can’t be funnier than Jennifer,’” and Baldwin answered, “Is this a joke? This is a comedy movie! Am I about to get punked? What do you even mean by that?” He added he was not trying to “shred anybody,” but wanted to show “Hollywood’s Hollywood.” Baldwin compared the exchange to being “mauled in the face by a f—ing wolverine” and said the remark left him “castrated comedically.” He said he toned down his delivery when he returned to set, and was then let go and told he could go home.

The role ultimately went to John Pankow; Paul Rudd also starred in the film.

stephen baldwin, jennifer aniston, paul rudd, john pankow, vince mcbride, nicholas hytner, one bad, the object, 1998 film, fired