Alec Baldwin Says He Didn’t Pull the Trigger in Rust Tragedy During Hour-Long ABC News Interview

The post Alec Baldwin Says He Didn’t Pull the Trigger in Rust Tragedy During Hour-Long ABC News Interview appeared first on Consequence.

The tragedy which took place on the set of the indie film Rust is one that shook the industry, and while the horrific accident happened over a month ago, the truth of what occurred is still slowly coming out. Now, Alec Baldwin has stepped forward to give his version of events to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Prior to the airing of Thursday’s interview, ABC News had teased the part of the conversation where Baldwin claims to have not pulled the trigger that day, saying that “No, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never.”

The full interview began with Baldwin explaining why he chose to sit down with Stephanopoulos in the first place, saying that while the investigation continues, “I really feel like I can’t wait for that process to end in February or March.” He also added that, “I would go to any lengths to undo what happened.”

What happened, for those who need a reminder, is that on October 21st, a gun Baldwin was holding was discharged on the New Mexico set of Rust, killing director of photography Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin was full of praise for Hutchins, saying that, “The people who watch the dailies said that her work was beautiful. She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with her.”

Baldwin detailed how his use of the gun was managed by the crew, including armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed: “In the protocols of the business, Hannah would hand me the gun 99 percent of the time, whatever, the preponderance of the time.” But, he added, after a shot was completed, he would hand the gun to assistant director David Halls if Gutierrez Reed was unavailable.

When it came to the moment of the shooting, Baldwin relayed his version of events: Being told the gun was empty of bullets as they rehearsed a shot, and being instructed by Hutchins to point the gun towards her. Doing so, Baldwin asked if he should cock the gun, and she said yes.

Then, said Baldwin, “I let go of the hammer and the gun goes off. I never pulled the trigger.”

“Everyone was shocked … the gun was supposed to be empty,” Baldwin added. “I was told I was handed an empty gun. She goes down, I thought to myself, did she faint?” The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me until 45 minutes or an hour later.”

Baldwin also told Stephanopoulos that, “I’ve been told by people who are in the know…that it’s highly unlikely that I would be charged with anything criminally.” But, he added, he doubts that he’ll ever do a movie again with a gun in it.

“Do you feel guilt?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“No,” Baldwin replied. “Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

As previously reported, an active criminal investigation is ongoing as detectives seek to determine what type of round killed Hutchins and who was responsible for placing the ammunition in the gun. Three revolvers and ammunition — some of which was loose — were recovered on the movie set. Halls and Guiterrez-Reed maintain they were unaware that a live round was in the gun at the time; but as Consequence investigation previously uncovered both individuals had been linked to other on-set miscues and accidents prior to the shooting.

Meanwhile, multiple Rust crew remembers have already filed lawsuits against Baldwin and the film’s other producers, and Baldwin expects more to follow, including one from Hutchins’ family. “How could it be otherwise? His wife was killed … something happened here that resulted in his wife’s death,” he said.

The full interview will be streaming soon on Hulu. Previously, Baldwin had publicly commented that “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins.” The official investigation into what happened on the Rust set that day continues on, with new revelations continuing to emerge, such as members of the crew walking off the set the day of the accident. The DA involved with the case is considering criminal charges.

Alec Baldwin Says He Didn’t Pull the Trigger in Rust Tragedy During Hour-Long ABC News Interview
Liz Shannon Miller

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