A little over two months after the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Production has been shut down. Lawsuits have been filed, and many people, both associated and unassociated with the production, have come forward to give their opinions on what happened and Alec Baldwin’s role in it, as he was holding the gun when it went off.
Yesterday Baldwin took to social media to address all those who have reached out with support over the past few months. He said he’s received “hundreds of emails” from people in his life, many of whom he hadn’t heard from in a long time. He offered a message of thanks and happy holidays, as well as a lot of somber comments about how the tragedy will “never” fully be behind him and how he thinks about it everyday. You can watch the video in its entirety below…
It’s pretty clear how much stress Alec Baldwin is under in this video. He seems very worn down, which is understandable given the incredible scrutiny he has been under. He obviously felt he needed to say something to everyone who has reached out though this “tough” time. He’s a portion of his quote…
I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the people who sent me such kind words and best wishes, strength, hope, and prayers and so forth, lots of encouragement, lots of really great sentiment from so many people. I got hundreds of emails from friends and family and colleagues, some I hadn’t heard from in quite awhile, to send me strength and good wishes and so forth. I’m very grateful for that.
A lot of questions remain unanswered surrounding the tragic shooting, which occurred during a rehearsal for the movie. Thus far everyone involved has claimed they have no idea how a live round got into the prop gun. Alec Baldwin himself recently gave an interview in which he said he never even pulled the trigger, a claim that led to many people speaking out including Hutchins’ father. The Santa Fe authorities are currently undergoing a full investigation and have claimed all options and all possible charges are “on the table.” A judge also recently granted a subpoena to speak with Assistant Director David Halls.
Hutchins’ death has also led to many conversations about gun safety and how to prevent an incident like this from happening in the future. Prop master Hannah Gutierriez-Reed and her handling of the weapon has been a subject of conversation among many in the industry, and some are calling for change and even more checks and balances whenever firearms are used on set. Expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming months.
Our thoughts go out to Hutchins’ family and everyone else affected by this tragedy.