Actor Alec Baldwin, whose prop gun misfire on the sets of the film Rust killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins , told ABC News on Thursday, that he ‘would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them’.
“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Unless the person is the cinematographer who’s directing me at where to point the gun for her camera angle. That’s exactly what happened,” Baldwin told host George Stephanopoulos during his first ever interaction since the incident happened on the film’s sets on October 21. It also left director Joel Souza injured.
Baldwin, assistant director Dave Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed are under investigation over the incident. Two lawsuits have been filed against Baldwin for negligence and unlawful conduct. Baldwin confirmed to Stephanopoulos that Halls had handed over the gun to him after declaring it a “cold gun”- industry jargon for an unloaded gun, or one with dummy rounds in it.
The report added that Halls’ attorney affirmed Baldwin’s claims and said that since day one, Halls maintained his stand that the actor, who also served as a co-producer, “had his finger outside the trigger guard parallel to the barrel … that Alec did not pull that trigger.”
Baldwin was rehearsing with the firearm when the incident occurred. He said that Hutchins was directing him with gun positioning when he cocked the gun and let go of the hammer.
“I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’,” Baldwin said. “And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”
He added, “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property. Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Baldwin also addressed the accidental gun discharge that had taken place a few days prior to Hutchins’ death. His stunt double had accidentally fired two rounds last week after being told that the gun was “cold.”
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Several members of the camera department had staged a walkout on the day of the incident, in protest over pay and unsafe working conditions on the $7 million budget film. The Los Angeles Times reported that after the camera crew- members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees- left, “several nonunion crew members showed up to replace them.”
While Baldwin said that he was aware of the disagreements over pay, allegations against unsafe work environment were never brought to his notice.
It was after a few hours of their arrival, that the shooting resumed and the incident occurred.
While a recent affidavit suggests that confusion with the branding of live rounds led to them ending up at the film’s sets, both Halls and Gutierrez Reed admitted to not have double-checked the firearm before handing it over to Baldwin.
The investigation is still underway with the film production stalled for the time being.