Stephen Baldwin says he was let go from the late-1990s romantic comedy “The Object of My Affection” after a creative dispute, recounting the moment he was told to tone down his performance. He says he later felt “castrated comedically,” while he also stressed
Stephen Baldwin learned the hard way that even in Hollywood, comedy can come with terms.
On his “One Bad Movie” podcast, the actor—brother of Oscar-nominated Alec Baldwin—alleged he was fired from Jennifer Aniston’s late-’90s romantic comedy “The Object of My Affection” after producers raised concerns about his performance.
Baldwin, 60, described the auditioning role as a sidekick “almost boyfriend” to Aniston’s character. During the June 14 episode, he told guest and fellow actor T.J. Miller—who worked with Aniston on the 2016 film “Office Christmas Party”—that his comedic style became a problem two days into production.
The movie, released in 1998, is an adaptation of the Stephen McCauley novel. Aniston starred opposite Paul Rudd as Nina Borowski and George Hanson. an odd-couple pair who grow close after George moves in with Nina following an abrupt breakup with his boyfriend. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, which is now 20th Century Studios under Walt Disney Studios.
Baldwin said that after lunch, a producer came to his trailer and told him, “There’s a problem. You can’t be funnier than Jennifer.” He added that he was instructed to tone down his performance and “just say the words.”
He described the experience as feeling “castrated comedically,” and said that even after he followed the direction, he was later dismissed from the project. “They let me go,” Baldwin said. “They told me I could go home. And that was all cool, but that’s just awkward.”
The allegation lands inside a moment where Baldwin’s public life has included other headlines as well. Earlier, the Baldwin brothers were involved in a car crash in East Hampton, New York; they have confirmed that they are safe and said no one was injured.
Baldwin’s account also drew a broader comparison to earlier work. He said he had also been fired from the Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox film “Casualties of War” years earlier. though he did not claim that Aniston was involved in his termination from “The Object of My Affection.” He said his remarks were not intended to “shred” Aniston or the film’s crew.
Jennifer Aniston has not weighed in on the firing claim. But Baldwin did address how he wanted his comments to be received. “This is just to simply say Hollywood is Hollywood,” he said.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for 20th Century Studios for comment.
Stephen Baldwin Jennifer Aniston The Object of My Affection podcast One Bad Movie T.J. Miller 20th Century Studios Alec Baldwin Hollywood