Alec Baldwin is insisting that he didn’t pull the trigger on the gun that was used in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October on the set of their Western, ‘Rust.’ The actor has also said that he followed her instructions to point the gun at her during the rehearsal scene in which she was killed because he didn’t know there was live ammunition in the chamber.
After pointing the gun at Hutchins as instructed, Baldwin cocked it and let go of the hammer, which is when the gun went off. He added he never touched the trigger. His claims are supported by the film’s Assistant Director, Dave Halls, who has said the Emmy Award-winning performer never touched the trigger.
Baldwin is saying the only thing he’s concerned about is how live ammunition got into the chamber of the gun. He claims he was told on set that it only featured dummy bullets.
After the gun fired and Halyna fell to the ground, the Golden Globe-winning actor wasn’t told she was hit by a live round between 45 minutes to an hour later. He thought the director of photography may have been hit by wadding that’s typically found in blanks.
Baldwin also felt the crew waited too long to have Halyna transported to a hospital from the movie’s Santa Fe set. She was eventually taken by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died.
The Sheriff from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office eventually told Baldwin that Halyna had died from her injuries. The photos of the SAG Award-winning performer outside on the phone, which have been heavily circulated since the accident occurred, were taken when he called his wife after he was informed of the cinematographer’s death to tell her what happened.
Baldwin has also said that fellow actor-producer, George Clooney didn’t help the situation by commenting that he always checks the guns that he handles on his sets. Baldwin noted that he’s always relied on the experts, like the armorer, on the set to let him know that a gun was safe to handle.
The Oscar-nominated actor doesn’t believe the live ammo on the set was an act of sabotage, which has been claimed by the lawyer for ‘Rust’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Baldwin believes the situation was an accident. He added that hates that Reed and Halls have been villainized unfairly.
Baldwin also doesn’t discount his brother Daniel, who believed the ‘Rust’ star was targeted for his political beliefs. Daniel mentioned former President Donald Trump, who criticized his brother’s involvement in the shooting. The politician has widely publicized his displeasure for the ‘Rust’ star following his critical impression of him on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
The Tony Award-nominated performer also said he was not a nuts-and-bolts producer who made hiring decisions; he was only a creative producer on the drama who focused on the story and content. He wasn’t involved in bringing Reed and Halls on board the movie. While he has defended them, he has added he feels Reed was too inexperienced to be an armorer and Halls had safety issues on previous sets.
The crew also never informed Baldwin about safety concerns about the uses of guns on set, he added. He also said their complaints were along the lines of wanting better housing accommodations during the production.
Baldwin also revealed that he’s having recurring nightmares and isn’t sure he wants to make any more films. He admitted the accident is the worst thing that’s ever happened to him. He added that he feels sadness and anger about the accident, but not guilt.
