Alec Baldwin talks about fatal 'Rust' shooting

Updated 12:21 AM ET, Fri December 3, 2021

14 Posts

Sort by

9:23 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Alec Baldwin spoke at length about the tragedy on the set of "Rust." Here's what he said.

Actor Alec Baldwin spoke with ABC about the shooting on the set of "Rust" in October that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin became emotional while describing first meeting Hutchins.

"She was fantastic," Baldwin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview.

“The people who watch the dailies said that her work was beautiful. She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone."

Here's what else Baldwin had to say about the shooting:

On how the shooting occurred: "I let go of the hammer and the gun goes off," Baldwin said. "I never pulled the trigger."
On why a live round was found on set: "A live round isn't supposed to be anywhere near the set," Baldwin said. "I don't have anything to hide."
On meeting Hutchins' husband following the shooting: "I didn't know what to say," Baldwin recalled after meeting Matthew Hutchins. "He hugged me and he goes, 'I suppose we're going to go through this together.'" Baldwin added, "I think to myself, this little boy doesn't have a mother anymore ... and there's nothing we can do to bring her back. I told him, 'I don't know what to say, I don't know how to convey to you how sorry I am and willing to do anything I can to cooperate.'"
On Hutchins: "She was the loveliest woman, one of the loveliest women I've ever worked with and one of the most professional in terms of her demeanor."
On whether armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was overworked on set: "No, I assume that everyone that is shooting a lower budget film is stretched, myself included," Baldwin said. "I got no complaints from her or the prop department."
On comments former President Trump made after the shooting: "Just when you thought things could not get more surreal, here's the former president of the United States making a comment on this tragic situation," Baldwin said.

9:26 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin says Halyna Hutchins was "the loveliest woman"

Halyna Hutchins attends the 2018 Sundance Film Festival Kickoff Party in Park City, Utah, in 2018. (Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)

Actor Alec Baldwin concluded his interview with ABC with words of praise and admiration for Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the set of "Rust" who was killed in October.

"She was the loveliest woman, one of the loveliest women I've ever worked with and one of the most professional in terms of her demeanor," Baldwin said.

"She was admired as she was loved," he said.

8:55 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin says it was "surreal" to see Trump comment on the shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin spoke about his reaction to comments from former President Trump claiming the former "30 Rock" star "had something to do with" the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins.

Trump made his comments on Chris Stigall’s podcast in early November.

"Just when you thought things could not get more surreal, here's the former president of the United States making a comment on this tragic situation," Baldwin told ABC during an interview.

9:04 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin: "A live round isn't supposed to be anywhere near the set"

Actor Alec Baldwin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos he is unsure how a live round of ammunition made its way to the set of "Rust."

"A live round isn't supposed to be anywhere near the set," Baldwin said. "I don't have anything to hide."

In regards to whether Baldwin thinks he will be charged in the death of Halyna Hutchins, the actor said "it's highly unlikely that I'd be charged with anything criminally."

8:43 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin recalls meeting Halyna Hutchins' husband and telling him how sorry he was

Actor Alec Baldwin recalled meeting Halyna Hutchins' husband following the deadly shooting and telling him that he would "do anything" to cooperate with the investigation.

"I didn't know what to say," Baldwin recalled after meeting Matthew Hutchins according to an interview the actor did with ABC. "He hugged me and he goes, 'I suppose we're going to go through this together.'"

Baldwin added: "I think to myself, this little boy doesn't have a mother anymore ... and there's nothing we can do to bring her back," Baldwin told anchor George Stephanopoulos. "I told him, 'I don't know what to say, I don't know how to convey to you how sorry I am and willing to do anything I can to cooperate.'"

9:10 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin describes when he finally realized there was a live round in the gun

From CNN's Leinz Vales

Actor Alec Baldwin said he did not believe there was a live round in the gun for some time after the shooting on the set of "Rust."

“The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me ‘till probably 45 minutes to an hour later," Baldwin told ABC. “She’s laying there and I go, 'did she hit by wadding? Was there a blank? Sometime those blank rounds have a wadding inside that packs, it’s like a cloth that packs the gunpowder in. Sometimes wadding comes out, it can hit people, and it could feel like a bit of a poke.”

Baldwin went on to say that he recalled going to check on cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, but was forced to leave the set.

8:47 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

"I never pulled the trigger," Baldwin says detailing the moments leading up to the shooting

Moments before the deadly shooting, actor Alec Baldwin recalled being told that the "gun is empty," he said during an interview with ABC.

Baldwin said he recalled being told by director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, to hold the gun out in her direction, "right below her armpit."

"I said to her, 'in this scene, I'm going to cock the gun, do you want to see that?'" Baldwin said.

Baldwin said Hutchins told him to cock the gun, he said.

"I let go of the hammer and the gun goes off," Baldwin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "I never pulled the trigger."

8:47 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

Baldwin explains how the gun was handled on the set of "Rust"

Actor Alec Baldwin provided some insight into how the gun used on the set of "Rust" was handled by him and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

"In the protocols of the business, Hannah would hand me the gun 99% of the time, whatever, the preponderance of the time," Baldwin said during an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "But when we would say cut, if Hannah was away from the set, I would hand [assistant director David] Halls the gun."

Baldwin also addressed whether Reed was overworked on the set.

"No, I assume that everyone that is shooting a lower budget film is stretched, myself included," Baldwin said. "I got no complaints from her or the prop department."

9:13 p.m. ET, December 2, 2021

"She's fantastic": Baldwin gets emotional talking about "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

From CNN's Leinz Vales

Halyna Hutchins attends the SAGindie Sundance Filmmakers Reception in Park City, Utah, in 2019. (Fred Hayes/Getty Images)

Actor Alec Baldwin became emotional describing first meeting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died during a shooting on the set of his latest film, "Rust."

"She was fantastic," Baldwin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview.

“The people who watch the dailies said that her work was beautiful. She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by everyone."

Baldwin said he didn't know Hutchins prior to working on the film.