Hollywood Calls Out Alec Baldwin’s Claim He Didn’t Know Nikki Reed Was Underage While Filming Sex Scenes
In Alec Baldwin’s new memoir Nevertheless, he claims he was furious when he found out after filming that his Mini’s First Time co-star Nikki Reed was underage. But producers of the film are firing back, saying not only did Baldwin not yell at producers after filming wrapped but also knew Reed was 16 at the time. According to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmakers claim Baldwin is lying about his experience on the 2006 movie.
In Baldwin’s memoir, which was released earlier this week, he writes that he only found out Reed was underage after filming wrapped.
“I was 47, and it never occurred to me to ask how old Nikki Reed was. When I found out, just as we finished, that she was 17, I flipped out on the producers, who had told me something different.”
In the movie, Reed plays Baldwin’s step-daughter, and according to People, the two embark on an affair. Both the film’s producer Dana Brunetti and the writer and director Nick Guthe told The Hollywood Reporter that Reed’s age was a topic of discussion during the making of the movie. They say the fact that Reed was under 18 meant they couldn’t be pressured to include nudity in the sex scenes between Baldwin and Reed, and Guthe points out that her age was brought up again during filming.
“On the set, Nikki, being 16, would often speak quickly the way teenagers do, and Alec asked me about that at times because he had trouble understanding her, and I would remind him, ‘She’s 16.'”
Brunetti also says that Baldwin was deeply involved in Reed’s casting and selected her from a group of other actresses as they both belonged to the same agency. Reed’s age had already been a topic of discussion in Hollywood, as she was known for her 2003 breakout role in the movie Thirteen.
According to Guthe, Baldwin’s claims contain multiple factual errors. Reed was 16, not 17, at the time of filming and Baldwin was 46, not 47. Guthe says it’s surprising the memoir’s publisher didn’t check those facts before going to print.
Brunetti also took to Twitter to discredit Baldwin’s allegations. He says he wanted to defend himself and other producers, including Kevin Spacey, against Baldwin’s false claims.
(1) My first indie film was Mini's starring @AlecBaldwin who knew @NikkiReed_I_Am was 16 (not 17) and he didn't mind https://t.co/aZ3KyeIiyC
— Dana Brunetti ???? (@DanaBrunetti) April 5, 2017
In a long series of tweets, Brunetti debunked the various claims made in Baldwin’s memoirs with regard to Reed being underage. He says wouldn’t have spoken out if Baldwin had simply lied about Reed’s age, but the claim that Baldwin yelled at the producers after filming made it seem as though they were in the wrong.
“But when he blamed the producers, I couldn’t let it go. It [makes us look like] we did something unethical or shady or hid something. It makes me look bad. It makes Evan look bad. Does he realize Kevin was a producer?”
Guthe also tweeted in support of Brunetti, though he clarified that he enjoyed working with Baldwin on the movie. Another producer of Mini’s First Time, Evan Astrowsky, also spoke out to support his fellow filmmakers’ claims.
“What Alec says happened is not accurate. I completely corroborate that.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Brunetti compared Baldwin’s lies about Nikki Reed’s age to Donald Trump’s many false claims. Baldwin has notoriously mocked the president in various appearances on Saturday Night Live.
“I think he’s been method acting Trump too much and he doesn’t know the difference between fake news anymore.”
Baldwin has not responded to the backlash about his claims he was unaware Nikki Reed was underage during the filming of Mini’s First Time.
[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]
