'Empire Records' Secrets: Everyone Loved Liv Tyler, 'No One Was Interested' in Renee Zellweger

The actor who played Rex Manning recalls what it was like on the '90s set.

Maxwell Caulfield -- the man behind the cult-classic character Rex Manning -- gave Empire Records fans just what they wanted when he shared some salacious tidbits from the 1995 set in a pre-taped message.

In celebration of Rex Manning Day on April 8, BBQ Films recreated Empire Records (and the sign is now up for auction!) at Brooklyn's Rough Trade NYC in a three-day screening of the film, complete with impersonators, bands, buttons and on the last night, Caulfield's confessions.


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Donning a velvet jacket much like his '90s character, the 55-year-old actor revealed in his video that when he first showed up to the Wilmington, N.C. set, Tobey Maguire had just bailed out of the movie. "I remember [director Allan Moyle] saying the lunatics had taken over the asylum," he begins.

Warner Bros.

Caulfield also has recollections of his co-stars Liv Tyler and Renee Zellweger's time on set, sharing that everyone wanted to hang with "Livy."

In the film, Tyler and Zellweger play best friends and polar opposites, Corey (the studious virgin) and Gina (her promiscuous sidekick).


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"Liv Tyler was at the center of it all," Caulfield remembers. "Everybody was gravitating to this young, emerging swan."

In 1993, Steven Tyler's daughter starred in two of her father's band's videos -- Aerosmith's "Cryin'" and "Crazy" -- and, thanks to the '90s MTV culture, was in high demand.

Caulfield says Tyler's mother, Bebe Buell, was on set to chaperon and look after her teenage daughter, but adds that the actress got even more popular when she showed up with a small, teacup Chihuahua with "big, generous eyes."

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"Everybody swarmed to Liv, ostensibly to look at the puppy," he recalls. "Crew, actors ...we were all hanging out with Livy."


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On the flip side, Caulfield says 20-something Zellweger did not have the same experience on set. "Zellweger was givin' it away for free," he says, "But no one was interested."

Warner Bros.

Three Golden Globes and one Oscar win later, the 45-year-old actress seems to be having the last laugh!


Empire Records
will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Oct. 20.

In the meantime, check out this epic Full House reunion that occurred earlier this year!

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