It's over twenty six years since Harrison Ford took over the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games but Alec Baldwin, the original Jack Ryan, is still holding a grudge against the Star Wars star.
In his new memoir, 'Nevertheless', Baldwin has outlined how he he's still pissed off over Ford's attitude about taking the role of Jack Ryan from him.
The Hunt For Red October was one of Baldwin's breakout roles as a leading man but he wasn't signed on for a sequel. And when it came time to negotiate with the studio about reprising the role, he learned that they were talking to Ford, already a huge box office star, about replacing him.
According to Baldwin, The Hunt For Red October director John McTiernan asked Ford if backstabbing Baldwin bothered him. His reply? "F-him!"
“He was playing a different game. In the need of the next franchise to keep the flame of his stardom burning bright while earning him tens of millions more, what choice did he have? The carpenter who walked onto a set [Star Wars] and then into movie history knew that these roles were his legacy.”
Baldwin went on to describe meeting Ford at a benefit in LA and being less than impressed by his stature.
"Ford, in person, is a little man, short, scrawny and wiry, whose soft voice sounds as if it’s coming from behind a door.”
Far be it for us to contradict Jack Donaghy but short? A quick google search shows Ford is 6"1". Baldwin on the other hand is reportedly 6 feet tall.
Baldwin also had less than nice things to say about Oliver Stone in the memoir. Baldwin appeared in 1988's Talk Radio.
“Stone’s ‘technique’ was to generate as much tension on the set as he believed the film required. With sarcastic asides and a passive-aggressive tone throughout, Stone drove the cast and crew to drink a lot.”
