Alec Baldwin’s First Interview About ‘Rust’ Shooting to Be Primetime Special

Alec Baldwin has done his first official news interview about the tragic Rust, and the conversation will be a primetime special. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin sat down with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos and spoke about the incident, which left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead. The interview is set to air Thursday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu later in the evening. There will also be a special two-hour edition of 20/20, which airs on Dec. 10, focusing on the Rust accident and featuring other interviews.

“This was the most intense [ABC interview] I have ever experienced,” Stephanopoulos said during a Wednesday appearance on Good Morning America while announcing the new interview. “He was so raw, as you can imagine he was devastated, but he was also very candid, he was very forthcoming, he answered every question, he talked about Halyna Hutchins, meeting her family as well, and he talked in detail about what happened on the set that day.” Hutchins was killed on the set of Rust on Oct. 21, after actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that was initially not believed to be loaded with live rounds. In addition to Hutchins’ death, the incident also wounded the film’s director, Joel Souza.

Following the incident, Baldwin released a statement on Twitter, and more recently he spoke to a group of photographers who were inquiring about the incident. “A woman died,” he told the group, per Deadline. “She was my friend. She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner with Joel, the director. We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.”

In a statement on the tragic situation, Rust Movie Productions LLC said, “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones.” The statement added, “We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.” The shooting on the set of Rust is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed.