On the Rust film set, Alec Baldwin shot a prop gun and the film’s Director of Photography, Halyna Hutchins, was killed. The Director, Joel Souza, was also injured on set from the accident.
Alec Baldwin, the film’s Producer and a starring actor in Rust, discharged a prop gun that killed the film’s Director of Photography, and injured the director of the film, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office reports on Thursday. Hutchins was emergency transported via helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was determined to be dead.
Alec Baldwin’s first statement after the tragic event was “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin said via Twitter. Including “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
The incident was described by an email from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 44 as “A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halyna Hutchins, and
Director Joel Souza,” the email said Variety reports. Adding “Our entire alliance mourns this unspeakable loss with Halyna’s family, friends, and the Rust crew.”
An outpouring of support for Hutchins and her family was prevalent on Twitter, as many faces in the industry lamented the tragic loss. The other victim and Director of the film, Joel Souza was discharged from the hospital Frances Fisher said in a Tweet on Friday.
Halyna Hutchins was beginning to make a name for herself in the Hollywood scene, and was regarded by her peers as incredibly talented. The cinematographer was known for her work on smaller budget films, until Michael Nell recruited her for work on the movie Blindfire.
Director of Blindfire, Machael Nell regarded her interview for the film as “When she came to the interview it was clear I was being interviewed to see if I was worth her time, not the other way around.” He stated in awe of her prowess.
The rest since then has been history in her meteoric rise to becoming the Director of Photography, which makes the loss much more tragic.
Matthew Hutchins, the husband of Halyna Hutchins told Insider “”I am not going to be able to comment about the facts or the process of what we’re going through right now, but I appreciate that everyone has been very sympathetic.”
Today, accidents such as these happen rarely, but the echo of the collateral is felt forever. There have been no charges filed as of this writing regarding the incident.
