Alec Baldwin, 63, and his wife Hilaria Baldwin, 37, have spoken on camera for the first time since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust — see the full video here. The A-lister addressed the media on October 30 in Manchester, Vermont, where he and his family have been staying since the tragic incident in New Mexico. “It’s an active investigation in terms of a woman died, she was my friend,” Alec told reporters.
“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together, and then this horrible event happened,” he continued. “There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode. It’s a one in a trillion event.” Alec noted that he was “extremely interested” in limiting the use of firearms on set following the fatal shooting.
“But remember, how many bullets have been fired in films and TV shows in the last 75 years. This is America,” he said. “How many bullets have gone off in movies and on TV sets before? How many, billions in the last 75 years? And nearly all of it without incident. So what has to happen now is, we have to realize that when it does go wrong and it’s this horrible, catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place. Rubber guns, plastic guns, no live — no real armaments on set.”
The 30 Rock star added, “That’s not for me to decide. It’s urgent that you understand I’m not an expert in this field, so whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people’s safety on film sets, I’m all in favor of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can.”
On October 21, the A-lister was rehearsing scenes for Rust in New Mexico, when he accidentally discharged a gun. Halyna died following the incident, while director, Joel Souza, was injured. Alec was unsurprisingly devastated by the tragedy. “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred.”