In an interview, actor Alec Baldwin has indicated that he does not consider himself guilty for the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rest’. He puts the responsibility on whoever had to check the weapon.
“I feel like someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who it is, but I know it’s not me,” the actor said in his first interview since the drama took place on October 21. It was broadcast on Thursday evening local time by the American channel ABC.
“I would kill myself if I thought I was responsible,” Baldwin said. During the interview, he could not hold back his tears several times when he talked about the death of Hutchins. The camerawoman died on the western ‘Rest’ set at the end of October. Baldwin is also one of the film’s producers.
During the interview, Baldwin is pointed out that according to the script, he should not shoot. According to Baldwin, Hutchins gave him instructions on how to hold his gun during the scene. The actor had to cock the gun in the scene but not fire it. “The trigger was not pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” he says. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger… never.”
The actor further points out that he was told it was completely harmless when he was handed the gun. But, according to the actor, he and Hutchins had something in common that day: “We both thought the gun was empty.”
After the fatal accident, Baldwin was accused of having checked the gun himself from various sides. The actor disagrees, now stating that he trusted the professionals who surrounded him and that the gun’s safety was not his responsibility.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the gunsmith responsible for the weapons on the set of “Rest,” admitted in a statement to investigators that she had been negligent. In the meantime, the police investigation continues, and criminal prosecution is not ruled out, the Santa Fe prosecutor’s office emphasizes.
Baldwin said he is working with the investigators and has “nothing to hide”. However, he assumes that he will be criminally prosecuted. As a producer of Rust, there are already two civil complaints against him. They come from technicians who worked on the film. Baldwin expects Hutchins’ husband also to file a complaint.
While he doesn’t feel responsible for Hutchins’ death, Baldwin says he will “do everything he can” to prevent similar tragedies in the future. “I can’t imagine making another movie where a weapon appears,” said the actor.
