Supernatural actor Jensen Ackles, who starred in Rust with Alec Baldwin, paid tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in an emotional Instagram post Sunday. Hutchins died after Baldwin fatally shot her with a prop gun he did not know was loaded with live ammunition on Thursday afternoon. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also wounded in the shooting. Hutchins was 42 and is survived by her husband Matthew and their 9-year-old son.
“I’m not even sure where to start. This has been a tragedy of epic proportions that we are all still processing,” Ackles wrote, alongside a gallery of photos of Hutchins from the Rust set. “Earlier last week I felt compelled to tell Halyna just how awesome I thought she was. I told her how incredible I thought her camera shots were and just how exciting it was to watch her and her team work. Truly. She laughed and said thank you and gave me a hug. I’ll forever be thankful we had that moment.She had a spunk and passion that infected the entire crew from the top down.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Ackles called Hutchins an inspiration and sent prayers to her husband, son, and the rest of her family. “There just aren’t enough words to express what an immense loss this is,” Ackles wrote. “She will be incredibly missed by all of us who knew and admired her.” Ackles and his wife, actress Danneel Harris, donated to the American Film Institute’s newly established scholarship fund in Hutchins’ name and the GoFundMe page set up by the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 union. Ackles provided links to both at the end of his caption.
On Thursday afternoon at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, assistant director Dave Halls handed a prop gun to Baldwin and announced it was a “cold” gun, meaning it was supposed to be empty. However, the gun was not empty. When Baldwin discharged the prop gun while rehearsing a scene, he fired a projectile that hit Hutchins in the chest and Souza in the clavicle.
Hutchins was rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died of her injuries. Souza was taken to another hospital in Santa Fe, and was released Friday morning. No charges have been filed in the case while the investigation continues. The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau is also investigating.
“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,” Baldwin wrote in a statement Friday morning. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
