Why was Melora Hardin fired and moved to the future?

Filmmaking can be a ruthless business, especially for actors. While it is true that all creatives are judged on their individual attributes, artists face additional pressure to include the physical and emotional attributes required to play a particular role. This means they are hired or rejected based on their appearance and essence as a human being. It's tough for anyone, but especially brutal for young actors who are going through puberty or on the other side of it. Also, it can be difficult for those behind the camera; An actor still comfortable in his growing body can be stunning in an interview, but once you get them on set, they're just not right for the part. Just ask Tamsin Merchant, the incredibly talented thespian responsible for bringing George RR Martin's “Game of Thrones” to life for HBO. They shot an entire pilot with her that had to be scrapped in part because she was wrong for the lead role. Daenerys Targaryen.

Imagine: You land your first big role, finish production, and watch helplessly as the producers discard your hard work, put another actor in your place and re-shoot the whole thing. And, not for nothing, the wind that is iconic in their area!

One of the more famous cases of an actor being replaced during production was Eric Stoltz's breakout star turn as Rocky Dennis in “Mask” in “Back to the Future,” where director Robert Zemeckis went a month in the role of Marty McFly before slamming on the brakes and recasting him. Zemeckis has often called the moment when Stoltz was fired one of the most difficult experiences of his career, but what is rarely discussed is that the actor's sudden exit also cost a co-star his job.

It's Melora Hardin, after decades of being an integral cast member of NBC's “The Office.” Why did she get a heave-ho too?

In a chat with Page Six of the New York Post, Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Hardin discussed how she lost the part of Jennifer Parker to Claudia Wells after Fox was hired. The reason? The then 17-year-old was taller than the minor breakout star of “Family Ties”.

The experience was “very, very painful. “There's no doubt it's very painful,” Hardin told the Post.

Unfortunately, there was more to her dismissal. According to Hardin, two female executives at Universal believed the tall Jennifer Marty was “emasculated” — which is odd considering the character isn't the epitome of machismo, as portrayed by Fox. This is what makes her training her father to be so assertive so funny (outside of Crispin Glover's aggressively loopy performance) Per Hardin, “I feel like it's an interesting sign of the times that female executives feel the need to protect their main character's masculinity.”

Hardin soon recovered and declined film or television work for the rest of his still-thriving career. He told the Post that he wouldn't have appeared as John Levinson on “The Office” without dealing with this initial setback, so fans of the beloved series have 1980s Hollywood sex to thank!