Jon Stewart's film debut gives
new meaning to the word "Cut!'' The comedian's role as
Goldie Hawn's younger lover in The First Wives Club is
out of the picture. And Heather Locklear's part as a trophy
wife has been reduced to one scene.
The glossy revenge comedy also stars Bette
Midler and Diane Keaton. It's about three middle-age friends
who plot against their husbands when they're dumped for sexy
playthings. The Paramount film opens Sept. 20. "It ran
long, they trimmed and poor Jon was out,'' says Matt Labov,
Stewart's spokesman. "Naturally, he's disappointed, but
c'est la vie.''
But Stewart fans can still see him Sept.
20 -- in an HBO special, Jon Stewart Unleavened.
Next week, he'll make a guest appearance on The Larry
Sanders Show, also on HBO. And in the spring, he'll be
in the Miramax movie, Wishful Thinking.
Says Hawn: "As much as I love Jon,
before it was even cast I said to Scott [Rudin, the film's
producer], 'Let's get rid of this. It's not pertinent to the
plot. You are going to cut this.' And sure enough it was the
first to go.'' First Wives Club executive producer
Adam Schroeder says Stewart "did a great job and cutting
him out had nothing to do with his acting.'' In fact, "we're
looking for a project for him. He's definitely a movie star.''