The tragic shooting during the filming of the movie Rust in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed triggered many actors and others involved in the film industry to speak out of the need of police officers monitoring the safety on set.
Actor Alec Baldwin was in a scene in which he was supposed to fire a shot towards the camera using a prop gun when a real bullet was fired and it ended with Hutchins, who was a wife and a mother, losing her life on the way to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
Her husband, Matt Hutchins, asked for privacy and said that he spoke to Baldwin who was very supportive.
He shared three photos of his late wife in which she is seen smiling in the company of her son. “Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words,” he tweeted.
According to Hutchins’ father, her 9-year-old son Andros didn’t speak for two days when he learned that his mother was killed on set. “Andros was incredibly close to his mother and fell silent when told she was dead,” the father told The Sun. “Matt was really worried because the boy withdrew into himself and couldn’t say a word for two days.”
After the accident, Baldwin released a statement. “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. 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.”
LA Times reported that prior to the fatal shot, a group of camera crew workers walked off set because safety protocols weren’t strictly followed. Camera operator Lane Luper was among those who left and was reported saying, “This set was unsafe simply because they didn’t have the wherewithal to follow safety rules that we have in this industry that we’ve been following for decades,” as per Sky News.
Now, reports are that Alec Baldwin has been sued by a crew member for negligence.
As the investigation is still ongoing, Baldwin calls for police officers to monitor weapon safety on movie sets. The actor tweeted, “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.” Other celebrities joined him in his request, including Dwayne Johnson.
#TheRock will ban real guns from all his sets after #Rust fatal shooting https://t.co/nxGqHYpIXa
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) November 5, 2021
The New Mexico police said that they haven’t ruled out bringing criminal charges over the shooting.
The producers of Rust, including Baldwin himself, wrote in a statement, “The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company.
“Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down.
“We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”
Actor Alec Baldwin is pushing for police protection on film sets as a safety measure to prevent fatal accidents.
His comments follow the tragic October incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on the set of the movie ‘Rust.’ pic.twitter.com/acMYPFtox9
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 9, 2021
We are deeply saddened by this awful tragedy which could have been avoided if safety measures were strictly followed.