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Alec Baldwin recalls the first time he met Tina Fey: 'I fell in love'

Baldwin shares memories of his time working with Fey on "SNL" and "30 Rock" in his new memoir, "Nevertheless," which was adapted for a Vanity Fair story.
/ Source: TODAY

Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey had incredible on-screen chemistry during their run together on “30 Rock.” Away from the cameras, we’ll never know if they could’ve had any kind of romantic chemistry. It’s fun to think about it, though, especially in light of what Baldwin wrote in his new memoir, an adaptation of which has been published by Vanity Fair.

The actor revealed in “Nevertheless” that there was a time when he was interested in Fey as more than just a co-star. He met her well before their “30 Rock” days, when he was hosting an episode of “Saturday Night Live” and she was the sketch-comedy show’s head writer. It was love at first sight — for him.

“When I first met Tina Fey — beautiful and brunette, smart and funny, by turns smug and diffident and completely uninterested in me or anything I had to say — I had the same reaction that I’m sure many men and women have: I fell in love,” Baldwin, 58, wrote.

Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey
Fey and Baldwin shared the stage during "SNL's" 40th anniversary special in 2015.NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

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Baldwin recalled that he asked talent coordinator Marci Klein if Fey was single. She pointed to Fey’s husband, Jeff Richmond. It’s safe to say Baldwin didn’t fall in love with him.

“Jeff is diminutive. Tina describes him as ‘travel-size.’ When I saw him, I thought, What’s she doing with him?” he shared. “With his spools of curly brown hair and oversize eyes, Jeff resembles a Margaret Keane painting.”

Baldwin, who’s now happily married to Hilaria Baldwin, eventually warmed up to Richmond.

Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey
Fey as Liz Lemon and Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in "30 Rock."NBC via Getty Images

“When I ended up working with the two of them years later, on ‘30 Rock,’ of which Tina was writer, producer, and star, I changed that to ‘What’s he doing with her?’” he wrote. “Jeff, who was the talented composer and music supervisor on ‘30 Rock,’ is as loose and outgoing as Tina is cautious and dry.”

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“30 Rock” signed off after seven seasons in 2013, but Baldwin still has nothing but the highest admiration for Fey, 46.

“Tina had an enormous level of responsibility on ‘30 Rock.’ The roles of writer, producer, and star are a lot to handle. Over the life of the show, she was honored for all of them. But Tina will tell you she is a writer at heart,” he wrote.

Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey
Baldwin and Fey pose for the camera at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2011.Christopher Polk / WireImage

“Beyond dressing up for red carpets, hosting awards shows, or starring in films, Tina, I believe, is most comfortable in a room full of clever people doing what she does so well.”

You can read more of Baldwin’s reflections on his life and career when “Nevertheless: A Memoir” is released on April 4.

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