Alec Baldwin Shares Letter From 'Rust' Crew Members Defending Production
Alec Baldwin has shared a letter from cast and crew members on the set of Rust addressing allegations of poor working conditions during the shoot that led to the tragic on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injury of director Joel Souza. The actor shared two parts of a letter signed by numerous cast and crew members to Instagram Thursday, which called descriptions of Rust as a "chaotic, dangerous and exploitative workplace" false.
These allegations also "distract" from the memory of Hutchins and the "need to find modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices," the letter read. It continued, "Unfortunately, in the film industry, it is common to work on unprofessional or hectic productions to gain experience or credits, Many of us have worked on those types of productions. Rust was not one of them. Rust was professional."
The crew members continued that "no set is perfect," and like any other production, Rust had "areas of brilliance and areas that were more challenging." Still standing "firmly" with their respective unions in support of better working conditions across the industry, the letter-writers said they didn't feel Rust was a representation of the poor conditions the unions are fighting against. The crew also praised Hutchins in the letter: "Halyna's work ethic was inspiring and we were working to our highest ability to support her vision," they wrote. "The days were scheduled tightly, but appropriately. We were keeping pace, not falling behind."
Just last week, Baldwin spoke at length about the accidental Oct. 21 shooting for the first time to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, claiming he didn't pull the trigger on the gun that fired. "Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger," Baldwin said. "So you never pulled the trigger?" Stephanopoulos questioned later. "No, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never," Baldwin responded, saying he "let go of the hammer" on the weapon and the gun went off.
The actor continued that he was devastated by the accident, and had no idea how live rounds made their way on set but didn't feel responsible for the shooting. "I feel someone is responsible for what happened, but I know it isn't me. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly," he said.