Baldwin: I’d die if it was my fault
Actor says he didn’t pull gun’s trigger
‘Someone put a live bullet in a gun’
ALEC Baldwin has said he would probably have killed himself if he felt responsible for shooting dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins but feels no guilt over the tragic accident.
The Hollywood star became emotional as he discussed the death of Mrs Hutchins, 42, and wounding of director Joel Souza as he rehearsed a gunfight scene on the New Mexico set of the western, Rust, in October.
While Baldwin, 63, conceded the incident may end his career, he said he was confident he wouldn’t face criminal charges.
He instead directed the blame at whoever allowed real bullets instead of dummies to be loaded into his replica Colt revolver.
Breaking his silence about the incident to ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview broadcast on Thursday, Baldwin repeatedly wiped tears from his eyes.
‘Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,’ he said. ‘Someone is responsible for what happened, and I don’t know who it is, but it’s not me.
He added: ‘Honest to God, if I thought I was responsible I might have killed myself. And I don’t say that lightly.’
Baldwin insisted he never actually pulled the trigger as, following Mrs Hutchins’s directions, he rehearsed drawing the gun and aiming it towards her as she stood next to the camera.
The actor was using a ‘single action’ weapon, which requires the pistol to be cocked manually, and he said, to get the shot the cinematographer needed, he had to cock the gun but not fire it.
‘I cock the gun,’ he said. ‘And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.’
However, gun experts are sceptical, saying it was highly unlikely the pistol could have fired without Baldwin squeezing the trigger.
He rejected widespread accusations – including from George Clooney who says he always checks a gun is unloaded on set – that he should have done more to ensure the pistol wasn’t lethal. Baldwin said such criticism ‘really didn’t help the situation at all’.
He maintained that over a 40year film and TV career he has always relied on prop managers to ensure a gun is unloaded.
He said the possibility the gun had been loaded with real bullets was so remote it took him at least 45 minutes after the shooting to realise what had happened.
Baldwin said he initially believed Mrs Hutchins had only fainted. Mr Souza was hit by the same bullet as he stood behind Mrs Hutchins.
Baldwin stressed during the 50minute interview that he didn’t want to portray himself as the victim, but he tried strenuously to absolve himself of any responsibility. Although he’s a co-producer of the $7million film, which already faces two lawsuits from crew members, he said he wasn’t responsible for hiring its armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
Her inexperience has been cited as a possible reason for live rounds being used on a set from which they should have been banned. One of the lawsuits accuses Baldwin of ‘playing Russian roulette’ with Mrs Hutchins by pointing the gun at her.
He dismissed Ms GutierrezReed’s claims that she was overstretched and had to do two jobs on the set. Baldwin said everyone was ‘stretched’ on a lower-budget film, himself included.
Brushing away the question of whether or not he handled the gun recklessly, he said: ‘There’s only one question to be resolved and that is: “Where did the live round come from?”’
The police investigation into the shooting is not expected to concluded until next year.
‘Where did the live round come from?’