'Rust' shooting: 'Someone is responsible, it's not me,' says Baldwin
In his first major interview after the fatal accident on Rust sets, Alec Baldwin said while he doesn't feel guilty over what happened, he's emotionally scarred after the death of its cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. "I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse," he said, emphasizing that he "didn't pull the trigger. Someone is responsible for what happened, and it's not me."
Baldwin claims he didn't even realize Hutchins was shot
The US-based actor told ABC that he "might have killed himself if he felt he was responsible." He claims that he didn't even know of Hutchins's death until the authorities told him. Baldwin initially thought she either had fainted or had a heart attack. He was informed of her demise "at the very end of my interview with the sheriff's department."
'I was told I was handed an empty gun'
Describing the scary incident, Baldwin said, "Everyone's horrified. It's loud. They don't have earplugs in...the gun was supposed to be empty. I was told I was handed an empty gun." The SNL star highlighted that the bullet "wasn't supposed" to be there. "Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," he added.
He admits his career 'could be' over after the incident
An incident of this seriousness can easily put a dent to someone's career, but Baldwin is unfazed. "I couldn't give a s--- about my career anymore," he thundered, to which ABC News's George Stephanopoulos asked, "Is it over?" "Well, it could be," the 63-year-old said. The episode has impacted him he admits, since he "can't imagine" doing any venture that has "gun in it."
What had happened on the sets of 'Rust'?
To recap, Hutchins, 42, was killed in October, while the film's writer-director Joel Souza was left injured when a prop gun misfired. The gun was reportedly in Baldwin's hands when it went off. Police launched an investigation and a huge uproar followed, but the first official lawsuit was filed last month when Serge Svetnoy, who was the chief of lighting, sued Baldwin and others.
Baldwin, armorer, co-producers were accused of mishandling firearms, disregarding protocols
Svetnoy's civil lawsuit claimed that he was struck by "discharge materials from the blast." "They [Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and other producers] knew that their conduct created a substantial risk of significant harm, yet acted and continued to act in willful, wanton, reckless [manner]."
