AFTER almost two months since the deadly tragedy that occurred on the set for the film Rust, actor Alec Baldwin gave his first in-studio interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
Taped last Tuesday, the discussion between the two lasted one hour and 20 minutes. It was described by Stephanopoulos as being the most “raw and intense” in his twenty years of career at ABC. The interview aired last Friday, and is currently available on Hulu.
Baldwin was described as being very candid and forthcoming despite how devastated he was.
In a preview clip of the interview aired prior to the broadcast, a teary-eyed Baldwin recounted the events of the tragic day, saying that even at the current point in time, he feels what happened was too hard to believe, and that it just doesn’t seem real.
Among numerous things that were exchanged between the two, the actor further claimed that he did not pull the trigger on the gun.
Stephanopoulos also asked Baldwin how a live bullet made its way onto the set, the very question at the centre of the investigation into the shooting.
This was the first time Baldwin gave a detailed account about the incident on camera, barring a brief interview he gave to TMZ in a bid to stop the paparazzi from following him and his family in the aftermath of the tragedy.
On Oct 21, Hutchins was shot and killed as Baldwin rehearsed with what he believed to be an empty gun on the set of Rust in New Mexico.
He was handed the weapon by assistant director Dave Halls, who had been given the gun by Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the 24-year-old armorer on the film. Halls reportedly called “cold gun” (meaning it did not contain ammunition) as he handed it over.
As Baldwin then practiced drawing and firing the weapon, a bullet discharged, injuring director Joel Souza and killing Hutchins.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting to determine how and why live bullets came to be in the gun.
