Alec Baldwin Claims He ‘Didn’t Pull the Trigger’ in Tragic Death on Set of ‘Rust’
© AP Photo / Seth Wenig
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US actor Alec Baldwin has claimed that he “didn’t pull the trigger” on the gun that led to the death of the cinematographer and injuries to the director while on the set of the film ‘Rust.’
In an upcoming interview with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin talks about the fateful day that live ammunition was discharged from a gun he held while on the set of the film ‘Rust.’ The bullet hit and killed the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, also seriously injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza.
Asked by @GStephanopoulos how a real bullet got on the "Rust" set, Alec Baldwin says: “I have no idea. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
— ABC News (@ABC) December 1, 2021
Watch TOMORROW 8pm ET on ABC and stream later on @hulu. https://t.co/fJQly1za1T pic.twitter.com/OnpDuYERiC
In clips released ahead of the interview’s scheduled airing on Thursday, Baldwin discusses on the incident in-depth, the emotional toll it has taken, and the woman who was killed.
Baldwin, answering how a live bullet got on set, is seen saying, “I have no idea,” later adding, “a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
Later in the interview, Stephanopoulos and Baldwin have a revealing back-and-forth on why the gun was discharged.
Stephanopoulos says to Baldwin, “It wasn’t in the script for the trigger to be pulled.” To which Baldwin responds, “The trigger wasn’t pulled, I didn’t pull the trigger,” which then prompts Stephanopoulos to ask, “So you never pulled the trigger?” Baldwin responds emphatically, “No, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger.”
When asked about Hutchins’ death, the actor began to weep, saying Hutchins, “was someone who was loved by everyone, who loved by everyone, who worked with, liked by everyone who worked with, and admired.”
The fatal accident occurred on October 20 and put the indie-film production under a microscope. Criticism has been directed towards the production’s rookie armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, for allegedly loading the gun with live ammunition instead of blanks.
As a result of the accident, the production has been under investigation and multiple lawsuits have been filed. The film has been described as a passion project by Baldwin, who is a producer and star of the film. The $7 million production has been suspended indefinitely.
