Alec Baldwin reportedly wanted to finish filming 'Rust' following shooting
Alec Baldwin wanted to complete the filming of Rust following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, court documents show.
According to reports from The New York Times, Baldwin made attempts to encourage the rest of the cast and crew to finish the film to honour the memory of Hutchins. He was also reportedly planning to support Hutchins’ son and widower Matthew through profits from the film.
On October 21 last year, Baldwin discharged a live round in a prop gun during a scene rehearsal that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. He’s claimed that he was told the gun was “cold” (aka a blank) by assistant director Dave Halls.
The tragedy resulted in the filming and production of Rust being postponed indefinitely.
Last month, the family of Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other members of the Rust production team. The lawsuit claims the production team “disregarded at least 15 Industry Standards” of on-set safety.
This followed a number of other lawsuits that have already been filed by crew members including Serge Svetnoy, script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and medic Cherlyn Schaefer.
In January, Baldwin and Rust producers asked a California judge to toss out the lawsuit from Mitchell, saying: “Nothing about Plaintiff’s allegations suggest that any of the Defendants, including Mr, Baldwin, intended the prop gun to be loaded with ammunition.”
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office has yet to charge anyone for Hutchins’ death, with the investigation still ongoing and Baldwin and repeatedly argued that he is not financially liable for the death of Hutchins.
In a controversial interview with ABC News in December, Baldwin claimed he “didn’t pull the trigger” on the gun which killed Hutchins. “The trigger wasn’t pulled,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them, never.”
The actor also addressed whether this shooting could mean the end of his career. “I couldn’t give a shit about my career anymore,” Baldwin said.
Speaking about his mental state, Baldwin added: “I have dreams about this constantly now. I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse.”