Olivia Munn says Alec Baldwin cut her from 30 Rock for looking too young

Olivia Munn has claimed Alec Baldwin had her cut from the cast of TV sitcom 30 Rock because she looked "too young".

During a recent interview for The Hollywood Reporter's I'm Having an Episode podcast, The Newsroom actress recalled how she auditioned for the role of Avery Jessup, the love interest of Baldwin's character Jack Donaghy, back in 2010.

While Olivia was initially offered the part, there was a lot of back-and-forth between her agent and the showrunners.

"The end of that story is that I got the job... and then two days later, they were like, 'Alec (Baldwin) thinks that you look too young to play his love interest.' Another two days later, 'No, no, no. They think you're perfect. You're going to fly out on Saturday.' On Friday, 'No, no, no. Alec thinks that you look too young and he's putting his foot down.' Then Elizabeth Banks got that role," she recalled.

Olivia noted that the part would "have been such a big, big break for me".

Yet, she accepts that it was meant to go to Elizabeth, who appeared as the character between seasons four and six.

"I was not devastated. I only thought to myself, 'Wow, look how far I got.' I ended up not getting the job because of something I couldn't control. On my ability and my acting, I got it. It gave me so much confidence," the 45-year-old insisted.

Representatives for Alec, 68, and 30 Rock creator Tina Fey have not yet commented on Olivia's remarks.

Olivia is currently promoting the second season of Your Friends & Neighbors, which is now streaming via Apple TV.

Co-starring Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet, the drama has already been renewed for a third season.