(Los Angeles) The husband of the filmmaker killed by the shooting of a revolver on the set of the film Rust last year held actor Alec Baldwin responsible and said he was “very angry” that he was seeking to exonerate himself.
Posted at 7:38 p.m.
At the time of the tragedy, on October 21 on a ranch in Santa Fe (New Mexico), Alec Baldwin was handling a revolver while working on a scene with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She had been presented with the weapon as harmless, as it was supposed to contain only dummy bullets, but the shot went off, fatally wounding the 42-year-old filmmaker.
Her husband, Matt Hutchins, said in an interview with NBC that he finds “absurd the idea that the person who holds the gun and triggers it is not responsible”.
“But gun safety wasn’t the only issue on this shoot. A certain number of criteria in force in the profession were not applied and there are many responsible “for the death, he continues in an extract from this interview, which must be broadcast in full on Thursday.
In a television interview, Alec Baldwin said he felt neither guilty nor even “responsible” for the death of Halyna Hutchins, assuring that it was she who asked him to point his revolver at her and that the shot went off without that he pulled the trigger.
“I have a feeling that someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who it is, but I know it’s not me,” said the actor, who is also one of the producers of Rust.
Asked about his reaction to seeing this interview, Matt Hutchins replied that he felt “very angry”.
“I was so angry to see him talk about her death in public, in such detail, only to end up denying responsibility when he had just described how he killed her,” he said.
Solicited by AFP, Alec Baldwin’s lawyers had not yet reacted.
Last week, the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins filed a civil complaint against the actor, notably questioning his “dangerous behavior”.
The family lawyer had also accused the cost-saving measures decided by the actor and the other producers of the low-budget western of having resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins.
This complaint is in addition to many other civil proceedings already initiated in recent months by members of the film crew.
A criminal investigation is still ongoing.
In particular, the police are looking to find out how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited.