Alec Baldwin Thought Kissing Jennifer Aniston Was 'Painful'
Alec Baldwin infamously didn't kiss his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, for six weeks when they first started dating. Baldwin's aversion to lip-locking seems consistent, as he once thought kissing Jennifer Aniston was not particularly enjoyable. Following Aniston's one-time appearance in "30 Rock," when the two shared a passionate kiss on-screen, Baldwin quipped to New York Magazine, "It was painful."
In 2008, Jennifer Aniston made a guest appearance on "30 Rock," an NBC sitcom that revolves around a fictional live sketch comedy show, with Alec Baldwin portraying Jack Donaghy, a network executive. In the episode titled "The One with the Cast of 'Night Court,'" Aniston played Claire, a friend of Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), who becomes infatuated with Donaghy.
Aptly reminiscent of Aniston's "Friends" days with the title phrasing, the episode represented a full circle for Aniston and Baldwin, as Baldwin had previously appeared as a guest star on "Friends." In a Season 8 episode titled "The One in Massapequa," Baldwin played the overly positive and thus annoying boyfriend of Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow). While Aniston and Baldwin didn't have much of a crossover in the 2002 "Friends" episode, fate brought them together six years later on "30 Rock."
Alec Baldwin had nothing but praise for Jennifer Aniston in '30 Rock'
In his brief chat with New York Magazine, Alec Baldwin jokingly complained about having to make out with Jennifer Aniston, but it was actually a surreal moment for the actor. Baldwin explained, "I mean, every man who's had to make out with [Aniston] in TV and movies — I don't know how they do it."
Just days later, the actor gushed about the experience to People Magazine, calling it "the greatest day of [his] life," as was reported by Just Jared. Baldwin explained that, despite the usual artificiality of on-screen kissing scenes, he had a fabulous time with the "Friends" star. He revealed what it's actually like to work with Aniston, noting to People, "She's a doll."
Aniston, on her part, was more focused on the overall opportunity to work on "30 Rock." In a 2008 interview with The New York Times, the "Cake" actor shared that the invitation to guest-star on the New York-based series came right after she felt the need to film in the Big Apple again. "The whole experience felt like fate," Aniston told the outlet.
The episode landed Jennifer Aniston an Emmy nomination
Jennifer Aniston felt a sense of destiny with her role on "30 Rock" for a reason, as her portrayal of the stalkerish Claire earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009. In a conversation with Digital Spy, Aniston shared her enthusiasm for filming the NBC series and praised her co-stars, including Alec Baldwin. "It was really, really fun. That cast is stellar, and Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey — what a great group of people."
Baldwin expressed a similar sentiment for Aniston's decision to join the "30 Rock" cast in his People interview. "Jennifer is obviously someone who has a lot of things she could be doing with her time," said Baldwin, adding, "And for her to take time to come be with us, I'm very, very grateful."
At the time, NBC also noted their excitement to have the former "Friends" lead back on their network, deeming her the ideal choice to bring humor to the character in an official statement. Although Aniston's appearance was clearly a blast for everyone involved, the particular episode received mediocre ratings, as reported by ABC Medianet, with only 7.6 million viewers tuning in. To put it in perspective, weekly reports indicated that the Season 3 premiere episode of "30 Rock" drew an audience of 8.66 million viewers.