(Los Angeles) Real firearms can be used safely on film sets as long as strict protocols are followed, says American actor Matthew McConaughey.
Since the death of a director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, killed by an accidental shooting by the actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the film Rust, calls to ban firearms on sets are increasing. A petition in this direction had gathered nearly 80,000 signatures on Friday.
Alec Baldwin activated during a rehearsal a revolver which had been presented to him as a “cold weapon”, that is to say, unloaded and harmless, by an assistant director. The latter admitted to investigators that he should have ensured the absence of live ammunition in the barrel, but had not carried out all the necessary checks.
“There is a safety protocol and, if followed, you can be safe on set,” Matthew McConaughey said in an interview with AFP.
The Oscar winner for his role in Dallas Buyers Club believes that the death of Halyna Hutchins is “a horrible accident that could easily have been avoided”.
“I’ve been on a lot of shoots where I interacted with guns. There is an established protocol […] when a weapon is handed over by one person to another, when it arrives on the set, ”he recalls.
“One of the wonderful things about running a shoot is the incredible organization. And they broke protocol ”on the set of Rust, continues the actor, who wonders if the team “was not late”.
Matthew McConaughey does not criticize Alec Baldwin, but specifies that “in a personal capacity, he always takes extra precautions” before handling a weapon for a scene, notably checking the weapon for himself.
“We tell you that it is ‘cold’, I prefer to see it firsthand,” he said.
“If we’re both in a scene, I have to show you.” If it’s a six-shot, do you see through each of the six holes (of the barrel)? », He explains, judging that one can never carry out« too »of checks in this field.
Some film professionals are campaigning for a ban on guns on sets, arguing that special visual and sound effects can be added to dummy weapons to make the scenes look believable.
” What do I think of it ? I think we have to follow the protocols. And that it should not be negotiable, ”retorts the Texan actor.