From the outset of the horrific shootings of two people on the set of Alec Baldwin’s never-to-be-finished film Rust, the legendary actor has refused to acknowledge any responsibility for the tragedy. From what we publicly know, the bullet came out of a gun he was holding, that he fired as he pointed it in the direction of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Souza survived the incident, but unfortunately Hutchins was killed. She left behind a husband and 9-year-old son.
Killing a friend accidentally can’t be anything but a horrifically traumatizing experience, and yet in the days following Hutchins’ death, Baldwin and his fake Spanish wife could only talk about themselves and how traumatized they were. They were seen going out for drinks, heading out for family time, and socializing as though nothing happened…all things Halyna Hutchins will never do again. Her child will never get to go out with his mommy again, but the Baldwins have played the victims from the start. Alec Baldwin has been known to be less than cooperative with authorities and then gave a strange, cringe-inducing, grossly insincere interview about it to “Good Morning America.” None of it helped his cause in the public eye, and this next move – if Hollywood has even the tiniest shred of decency left – should make him persona non grata from here on out.
In the realization that the Rust shooting may never see a satisfying response from law enforcement, the family of Halyna Hutchins has filed a lawsuit against Baldwin and other members of the production, claiming negligence and poor oversight led to the tragedy.
From Variety:
The family of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Alec Baldwin and others involved in the film, alleging that reckless behavior and cost-cutting led to her death.
Hutchins was shot and killed on Oct. 21 while preparing for a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M. Baldwin, the film’s star, was holding the gun when it fired, though he has stated that he did not pull the trigger. Hutchins was shot through the torso, and the bullet lodged in the shoulder of the director, Joel Souza. Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, where she died.
She left behind her husband, Matthew Hutchins, and the couple’s 9-year-old son.
In addition to Baldwin, the suit names seven producers as defendants — Ryan Smith, Allen Cheney, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Anjul Nigam, Matthew DelPiano, and Emily Salveson — as well as crew members Sarah Zachry, Dave Halls, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, Gabrielle Pickle, Seth Kenney, and others.
But the SNL favorite is nowhere to be found, as the families search for some sort of justice for their loved ones. In a move that surely will be eligible one day for the “Tone Deaf Hall of Fame,” Baldwin bounced to Britain to…wait for it…shoot a new movie.
In a social media post about his latest job, he expressed a bit of disorientation getting back to work “since this horrible thing happened” on the set of his last film.
“I said I would keep a little diary while I was traveling and working. We had our first day today which is always tricky. I don’t work as much as I used to, and I’ve said this before maybe, but you go to work, and you forget what you’re supposed to do. I just was like, oh, God what do you do? What is acting or any of this nonsense that I’ve ended up doing? It’s strange to go back to work. I haven’t worked since October 21st of last year when this horrible thing happened on the set of this film, and the accidental death of our cinematographer Halyna Hutchins”
Again, I don’t think it’s fair to call Baldwin a murderer, but it’s looking fair enough to call him an arrogant, clueless prick. It must be maddening to be the father to Hutchins’ now motherless child and see this man go about his life, his business, and his livelihood, all the while speaking about the death he played a part in as just some thing that happened.
Normal people in that situation would spend years working to get their minds right after being involved in the death of a friend and/or co-worker. Baldwin’s almost immediate return to casual life has been disconcerting at best, enraging at the very least.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member