Alec Baldwin was seen on camera speaking out about the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust.
Earlier this month, the 30 Rock actor was working on a scene for the Western when he fired a prop gun, killing Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer, as well as wounding the film’s director, Joel Souza.
Baldwin, who is in Vermont with his wife Hilaria, spoke to paparazzi about the incident, but said he was unable to share much given that there is an ongoing investigation into what happened on set.
"She was my friend," Baldwin said of Hutchins. "The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting I took her to dinner with Joel the director.”
He also shared that he met with Hutchins’ wife and son, explaining, “The guy is overwhelmed with grief. There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode."
Hilaria also criticized the paparazzi for not recalling Hutchins’ name, interrupting the conversation to say, “Her name is Halyna. If you're spending this much time waiting for us you should know her name."
The death of Hutchins, a beloved filmmaker in her community, has led to a call to reevaluate safety measures on all film sets. It comes on the heels of a new potential deal for the entertainment worker union IATSE, which just narrowly avoided a strike. Reports from Rust claim that there was a crew walkout over safety issues prior to Hutchins’ death.
Baldwin spoke about the use of firearms on set, telling the paparazzi, "I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I’m extremely interested in. But remember something that I think is important and that is how many bullets have been fired on films and TV shows in the last 75 years. This is America. How many bullets have gone off in movies, nearly all of them without incident."
While he stressed he is "not an expert in this field," he said he is "all in favor" of "whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people’s safety on film sets."
Baldwin previously expressed his sorrow over Hutchins’ death on Twitter, writing, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
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