Alec Baldwin is making his first public appearance since the tragic shooting of Halyna Hutchins. ABC News will be airing an interview with the actor. In the preview for the interview Baldwin claims, “The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger.”
A little over a month ago on October 21, 2021, it was reported that director of photography Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed by producer and actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the upcoming western film Rust. The production is currently on indefinite hold.
Baldwin seems to be saying that somehow the gun went off without him pulling the trigger and that he “would never point a gun at anyone and then pull the trigger, never.”
Following the tragic incident a ton of information has come out from the set: including a statement from chief electrician Serge Svetnoy on the conditions on the set, accusations of sabotage, and confirmation of a live round in the prop gun. However, this will be the first time that Baldwin speaks on it publicly, aside from his initial statement on social media following the incident as well as an impromptu interview nearly a week after the incident. The actor has still been active on social media, but has not made any true press appearances until tomorrow.
Baldwin also states that Halyna Hutchins was “loved by everyone who worked with her, liked by everyone who worked with her, and admired.”
While more news is sure to break from this interview, many in the film community are still mourning the loss of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She is survived by her husband Matthew Hutchins and her nine year old son Andros Hutchins.
UPDATE 12/06/2021:
“There’s only one question to be resolved, only one, and that is where did the live round come from?” Baldwin stressed in the interview. The actor didn’t want to speculate on the great mystery surrounding this case and said that it’s the police’s job to move heaven and earth to answer this question. This week, Santa Fe authorities performed a search in the prop firm that provided projectiles and rounds to the production. After the incident, authorities had seized more than 500 bullets at the Bonanza Creek ranch, where filming was taking place. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property … I don’t have anything to hide,” the star, who has spoken several times to the police, reported.
Also during the interview, Baldwin reflected on meeting Hutchins’ husband and son at the Santa Fe hospital. “I didn’t know what to say … He hugged me and he goes: ‘I suppose we’re going through this together,’” Baldwin recalled. “I think to myself, this little boy doesn’t have a mother anymore … and there’s nothing we can do to bring her back.”
In photos taken on October 23, Baldwin looked distressed while hugging Matthew Hutchins, who sported a face mask. “I told him, ‘I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to convey to you how sorry I am and willing to do anything I can to cooperate.’”
Hutchins was “the loveliest woman, one of the loveliest women I’ve ever worked with and one of the most professional in terms of her demeanor,” Baldwin said.
When asked is chief armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was overworked on set, Baldwin commented that he had no complaints from her or the prop department. “I assume that everyone that is shooting a lower budget film is stretched, myself included,” he said.
Baldwin seemed visibly surprised that former President Trump suggested that he may have fired the gun “deliberately,” and added: “Just when you thought things could not get more surreal, here’s the former president of the United States making a comment on this tragic situation.”