Alec Baldwin Wanted to Finish Making Rust After Fatal on-Set Shooting: Report

Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
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Jim Spellman/Getty Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin wanted the cast and crew on the Western film Rust to complete filming after the fatal on-set incident as a way to honor late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a new court filing claims.

On Oct. 21, the 42-year-old cinematographer was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the ill-fated film. Baldwin was holding the gun that discharged, shooting her and director Joel Souza, who survived his injuries.

Baldwin's legal team said in an arbitration filing against the film's other producers, obtained by The New York Times on Friday, that the 63-year-old actor tried to encourage the Rust cast and crew to complete the movie during the weeks following Hutchins' death. He reportedly made a plan to support her husband Matthew Hutchins and their son, 9, through the movie profits and an insurance payout, the news outlet reported.

The filing comes after Baldwin was sued by Matthew last month for the wrongful death of his wife. There are also other pending lawsuits aimed at the producers of the film for allegedly cutting corners and forgoing safety measures while making the movie.

Matthew's complaint said that Baldwin "and the other Defendants in this case failed to perform industry standard safety checks and follow basic gun safety rules while using real guns to produce the movie Rust, with fatal consequences."

According to the filing obtained by the Times, Baldwin's team claims that he is not financially liable for the tragedy based on his contract as a producer and star. He had creative sway but no control over who was hired or what the budget was used for, they claim. He also reportedly wants his legal fees covered.

RELATED: Alec Baldwin Says Certain Rust Lawsuits Are Targeted Toward 'Deep-Pocket Litigants'

Alec Baldwin Hayla Hutchins
Alec Baldwin Hayla Hutchins

Rachel Luna/WireImage; Mat Hayward/Getty/AMC Networks Alec Baldwin (L); Halyna Hutchins

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Baldwin has maintained that he did not actually pull the trigger of the gun that he did not know contained live bullets. In an emotional ABC News interview in December, he said that he does not feel personally guilty about the incident: "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

In that sit-down, Baldwin said he had been told it is "unlikely" he'll personally face criminal charges, adding that he continues to cooperate in investigations. "I don't have anything to hide," he said. (The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office has not yet charged anyone in the incident.)

He added at the time that he "would go to any lengths to undo what happened."

RELATED VIDEO: Alec Baldwin Says Wife Hilaria Gave Him 'a Reason to Live' After First Interview Since Rust Tragedy

Matthew later revealed how he took issue with Baldwin's television interview. During an interview with the Today show last month after his lawsuit filing, the widower recalled, "Watching him, I just felt so angry. I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her."

"There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced, and there's multiple responsible parties," he added. "The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me."

In the Friday filing, Baldwin's attorneys wrote about how the grieving husband's stance toward the actor had allegedly shifted: "Before Hutchins's appearance on the Today show, his interactions with Baldwin had only been polite, collaborative and, at times, even warm," the filing read, per the Times.

Elsewhere in the filing, it read, "Someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin. This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin."

The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office has not yet charged anyone in the incident.