Alec Baldwin made many shocking revelations when he spoke out about the “Rust” shooting incident in his first sit-down interview which aired Thursday night.
The fatal Oct. 21 incident on the Western movie set left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured.
While speaking with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin described the moment the gun was discharged, his emotions since the fatal accident, and who is responsible for Hutchins’ death.
Here are the five most shocking revelations from the tell-all interview:
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Baldwin said he didn’t pull the trigger
“I let go of the hammer of the gun,” Baldwin described. “And the gun goes off.”
Baldwin and Hutchins had been setting up for a shot where the actor was supposed to draw the gun and point it at the camera. While standing next to the camera, the cinematographer was “guiding” Baldwin on where to point the gun, he said. “The gun wasn’t meant to be fired in that angle,” he confirmed.
“I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin reiterated.”I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”
George Stephanopoulos had the first exclusive interview with actor Alec Baldwin, following the deadly shooting on the set of the film “Rust.”
(Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty Images)
“The gun was supposed to be empty,” he said. Baldwin repeated how he was handed the gun and told by assistant director Dave Halls that the gun was “cold.”
Baldwin’s first thought when he saw Hutchins fall was, “Did she faint?” From his recollection, Hutchins was conscious when he last saw her and Souza was screaming loudly.
Baldwin said he didn’t know what had happened until he was in the police station, hours later. A police officer told Baldwin that a .45 caliber slug came out of Souza’s shoulder at the conclusion of his interview, he said. The police also confirmed Hutchins’ death to Baldwin at the end of the interview.
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Didn’t observe unsafe working conditions
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, said there was no indication to him that crew members were unhappy with safety conditions on the set, though some resigned over the issue.
“I never heard one word about that, none,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin said complaints about cost-cutting on the film have been misguided.
“Everybody who makes movies has the responsibility not to be reckless and careless with the money that you’re given,” he said. When asked by Stephanopoulos whether the cost-cutting compromised safety, Baldwin said “In my opinion no.”
“I personally did not observe any safety or security issues at all in the time I was there,” he said.
A gun misfired on the set of a Western being filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch on Thursday, Oct. 21, killing the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong | Photo by Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie)
Doesn’t believe he’ll be criminally charged
Baldwin said he does not believe he will be criminally charged in the shooting. “I’ve spoken to the sheriff’s department multiple times,” he said. I don’t have anything to hide.”
He said the incident left him emotionally ravaged.
“I have dreams about this constantly,” he said, “I wake up constantly where guns are going off. These images have come into my mind and kept me awake at night and I haven’t slept for weeks and I’ve really been struggling physically.”
Asked by Stephanopoulos if his career is over, Baldwin said, “It could be.”
Not responsible for Hutchins’ death
Baldwin doesn’t hold himself responsible for the death of Hutchins but does believe someone is responsible. He said he feels incredible sadness and regret.
“Someone is responsible for what happened,” Baldwin said. “It’s not me.”
Baldwin says he was handed the gun on set by assistant director Dave Halls (L). Halls told him it was a “cold gun.”
(IMDb / Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican)
“Honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might have killed myself,” he said. “If I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.”
At the end of the interview, Baldwin said he thinks back, “What could I have done?” The actor said this is the “worst thing” that has ever happened to him.
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As a producer, he only oversaw script and creative changes
Baldwin also noted two crew members had filed lawsuits, and he pointed out that both had been filed before Hutchins’ husband Matthew had filed his own.
“They couldn’t wait until Matthew filed his,” he said. “Something happened here that resulted in his wife’s death.”
The actor maintained during the interview that his role in the production of the film was creative concepts and script development, not hiring the crew.
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The movie had been filming for a week before Baldwin showed up on set. The actor revealed during the interview that he had stopped making movies because he didn’t like being away from his family. He said working on this film made him “love making movies again.”
Fox News’ Lauryn Overhultz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
