Actor Baldwin ‘broken-hearted’ after he shot dead cinematographer
Saturday Night Live star distraught at accident that killed ‘admired colleague’ during filming of Western
ACTOR Alec Baldwin last night described how his “heart is broken” after he accidentally shot dead a female cinematographer with a prop gun on the set of his new film.
A distraught Baldwin said in a statement that there were “no words” to convey his sadness over the death of colleague Halyna Hutchins while they were filming Rust, a Western.
Moving photographs taken in the hours after the incident showed Baldwin, a father-of-seven, bent double and distraught outside the local sheriff ’s office.
The actor said he was doing all he could to support the family of the 42-year-old mother-of-one, who was killed in the accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday afternoon.
Baldwin, 63, paid tribute to “a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours”. He added: “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
Hollywood was yesterday mourning the loss of the admired cinematographer whose ambitions took her from her native Ukraine to working with the biggest stars in Los Angeles.
However, many in the film industry were already demanding answers as to how the accident was allowed to happen during what is supposed to be a highly controlled film set.
It is believed Baldwin fired a single live round from a prop gun that somehow struck both Ms Hutchins and the movie’s director, 48-year-old Joel Souza, who was lightly wounded.
Baldwin is reported to have repeatedly asked why he had been given what is known as a “hot gun”.
He said he was fully cooperating with police to investigate “how this tragedy occurred” and gave a tearful interview to officers in Santa Fe, but no charges have been filed.
One witness said that the actor – known for his roles in television show 30 Rock and his impersonations of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live – kept saying: “In all my years, I’ve never been handed a hot gun.”
The witness said one “bullet” went straight through Ms Hutchins before hitting Mr Souza’s clavicle.
According to a transcript of a 911 emergency call published by the website TMZ and which is yet to be independently verified, a woman who identified herself as a script supervisor said: “We have two people accidentally shot on a movie set by a prop gun. We need help immediately. We need some help. Our director and a camerawoman have been shot.”
The dispatcher asked if the gun was loaded with a real bullet. The script supervisor said: “I cannot tell you that. We have two injuries from a movie gun. Shot. I was sitting, we were rehearsing, and it went off and I ran out. We all ran out. They were doubled over ... the camerawoman and the director.”
A man who took over on the call from the script supervisor said, at that stage, the two people shot were still “alert” and each had one wound.
Prop masters union IATSE 44 told members on Thursday night in an email that a “single live round” was fired.
Vera Sawalha, a make-up artist who has worked with Ms Hutchins, said: “I just cannot believe what I just read. How is this even possible? ... Halyna was one of the most talented women I’ve ever had the honour of working with. So many before her have died in this
‘A full investigation into the incident absolutely needs to be done. All crew should be safe doing our jobs’
very careless and preventable way. I am in shock.”
The death prompted calls for safer working practices on set. IA Stories, an Instagram account that posts anonymous stories of crew endangerment, tweeted: “A full investigation into the incident absolutely needs to be done. All crew should be safe doing our jobs.”
Richard Howell, of prop providers Foxtrot Production Ltd, who has personally overseen firearm scenes with Sir Ben Kingsley, told The Daily Telegraph: “It is absolutely beyond me. I can’t think how that would actually happen. Armourers [in charge of the firearms used in a theatre production] should have nothing other than blank rounds. You read the script, the armourers understand the scene, the actor does, it will be rehearsed.”
James Cullen Bressack, a Hollywood writer and director, wrote on Twitter after the incident: “I will never use anything but airsoft and rubber guns on my movies ever again.”
Production has been halted on the film, which chronicles the life of a 13-year-old boy left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas.
Rust Movie Productions halted work indefinitely and said it was conducting an internal review. It added: “The entire cast and crew have been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones.”