Image Source: GQ, Variety, ABC News-Walt Disney
Alec Baldwin appeared in front of the cameras for the first time after the shooting incident took place on the sets of "Rust". The interview for the ABC News sit-down series with George Stephanopoulos saw the actor breaking down in tears as he recalled the incident of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' unfortunate demise.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked the actor about why he pulled the trigger or fired the gun when it was mentioned in the script, to which he replied, "The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger." Alec Baldwin further added, "I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never."
Alec Baldwin said that he had no idea how a live bullet got onto the set of the film, and he added, "Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property." The actor who was seen breaking down shared further that he keeps going back to the day when it all happened and what he could have done to avoid it.
Talking about Halyna Hutchins, Alec said, "Halyna was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with her, liked by everyone who worked with her, and admired. Even now, I find it hard to believe that it happened. It doesn’t seem real to me. "
Investigators have described the shooting incident that took place in October as "some complacency" in how the weapons were handled on the sets of Rust. Recalling the unfortunate incident, Alec Baldwin had a .45 Long Colt revolver on a pew of a church set while cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was setting up the cameras for another shot. The gun discharged, and the bullet hit Halyna and also wounded the director, Joel Souza.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department said Hannah Gutierrez Reed and assistant director Dave Halls, who handed the revolver over to Alec Baldwin, are under the radar, but nobody has been ruled out from the focus of the investigation. Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers have stated that she did not know where the live rounds in the revolver came from. Earlier this week, it was reported that a search warrant was issued to look into the premises of an arms supplier in the United States, and an affidavit was provided with the warrant which said that the police was informed that the ammunition for the film had come from several sources that also included, PDQ Arm and Prop.
The affidavit said the ammunition supplier's owner, Seth Kenney, had told investigators the live round might have been from some "reloaded ammunition." Alec Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria Baldwin, is sticking by her husband like a rock and shared a picture with the actor with the caption, "One foot in front of the other."
Hilaria has previously reflected on how challenging this year has been and shared with her followers that, "Sometimes I didn't think I was going to make it through. I want you to know how much you have helped me through some pretty dark struggles. Knowing you were there is such a comfort. Yes, my children and my husband, my family, and my close friends have been invaluable... Because of the nature of social media and how far we are all separated, I SO want you to know and take in how grateful I am every day for you. I miss our chats and the safety net of our community. I'm hoping, one day, we will get back there".
On Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos shared that his interview with Alec Baldwin was the most intense interview he has done in his career. He added, "It is so raw. I mean, as you can imagine, he's devastated. But he was also very candid, very forthcoming, and he answered every question. He talked about Halyna Hutchins, and talked about meeting with her family as well. He went through, in detail, what happened on set that day. I have to tell you that I was surprised in many places over the course of that hour and 20 minutes that we sat down yesterday. "
The 'Alec Baldwin Unscripted' will air as part of an hour-long special on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday and could be streamed on Hulu later.
