Alec Baldwin and host George Stephanopoulos talk on ABC News special Alec Baldwin Not Written yet.
Jeffrey Neira / ABC News
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Jeffrey Neira / ABC News
Alec Baldwin and host George Stephanopoulos talk on ABC News special Alec Baldwin Not Written yet.
Jeffrey Neira / ABC News
Police have not even released a final report on the shooting accident that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Western. Rust. But star Alec Baldwin – who wielded the gun that fired the deadly bullet – went on national television on Thursday to answer probing questions about a tragedy that has attracted so much international attention. water.
That’s not something a big celebrity at the center of a big public controversy usually tries. But after his measured, first interview with ABC host George Stephanopoulos – in which the actor shed tears several times as he described aspects of the tragedy – Baldwin emerged as a Men push back against criticism and tell their stories without saying anything. new, harmful questions.
Alec Baldwin Not Written yet gave an hour-long report on the accident, including a lengthy interview with the actor. He expressed remorse and remorse for the incident but remained confident that he would not be charged and not guilty.
“Someone has to be responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos in the pre-recorded interview. “But I know it’s not me.”
Hutchins was killed when the Colt .45 pistol Baldwin was holding unexpectedly shot her and the film’s director, Joel Souza, who injured her shoulder. Baldwin told Stephanopoulos he was following Hutchins’ instructions as he aimed his gun, as the cameraman was looking at the screen, trying to figure out the best position to shoot a scene.
The actor said they were doing a “marking rehearsal” in which he had to adjust the position of the gun several times. Baldwin said he pulled the gun’s hammer back and cracked it, but insists he never pulled the trigger.
“I took the gun. I went, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ “he added. “And then I let go of the hammer, and the gun went off.”
Why is he speaking out now?
Baldwin told Stephanopoulos he is speaking now – although he has been named in two civil lawsuits and police have not yet issued a final report to the district attorney – to counter “certain notions erroneous” about what happened.
“I feel like I really can’t wait for that process to end,” the actor said. “I want to… say I’ll do my best to undo what happened.”
During the interview, Baldwin – who is also a producer on the film – made several key points about the circumstances of the incident, which seemed to focus on limiting his cognitive abilities:
• He emphasizes that he is an “entirely creative producer” who focuses solely on casting and scripting and not on who gets hired for the technical jobs or why.
• He said he was not informed of any safety concerns on set prior to the accident.
• Several Hollywood experts, including star actor George Clooney, have said they always check the guns themselves they’re using to make sure they’re safe. But Baldwin insists his more than 40-year practice of acting is to rely on professionals hired to oversee props, including guns. When Stephanopoulos asked him directly: “What are the responsibilities of an actor?” Baldwin replied, “To do what the prop/armorer asked him to do.”
• He said assistant manager Dave Halls gave him the prop weapon, telling him it was a “cold gun”, meaning it wasn’t dangerous. Speaking of Hutchins, Baldwin noted, “she and I have this in common; we both think [the gun] empty…and it doesn’t. ”
• While carefully refusing to name anyone who could be responsible, Baldwin denied a theory advanced by attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who served as the film’s aide and key assistant, that The bullet may have lodged in his gun as an act of intentional sabotage.
(Attorneys for both Gutierrez Reed and Halls, contacted by NPR after the special aired, said they had no new comment to add following Baldwin’s statement.)
• Baldwin sheds tears when she talks about how well Hutchins is valued by her colleagues – and how her young son would grow up without his mother – but Baldwin also said he doesn’t feel the same way. guilty. Because, the actor said, he is not responsible for what happened.
“There is only one question to be answered…only one,” Baldwin said. “That is: Where did the live ring come from?”
Well prepared and on message
Thursday night’s report also featured interviews with other sources, including an arms supplier who said he supplied fake guns and ammunition for the production process. But Thursday’s report focuses on an interview with Baldwin, which features plenty of promotional ads for a longer, two-hour show next week on ABC’s newsmagazine. 20/20 about the accident.
Stephanopoulos, who told viewers about Good Morning America on Thursday that he had known Baldwin for years, asked substantive, but not overbearing, questions. Baldwin seemed well prepared and got the message, speaking on a reputable forum for journalism but it wouldn’t be too heavy. The show itself sometimes feels highly produced Dateline NBC episode, with ominous music swirling at key moments.
While emphasizing that he doesn’t want to sound like a victim, Baldwin has noted that he has struggled with public criticism sparked by the crash, which surprised former President Donald Trump. consider to accuse him deliberately shot Hutchins, calling it “surreal”. Saying the accident was the worst thing that’s ever happened in his life, the actor added that he dreams about the shooting “constantly” and doesn’t sleep.
But when Stephanopoulos asked if his acting career was over, Baldwin said he wasn’t sure but added that he’s scheduled to begin production on a new film in January.
It’s hard to see how this interview contributed to the public’s understanding of the crash, other than bolstering Baldwin’s argument that he was not fundamentally at fault.
But it will serve as a master class on how a celebrity can get their story out in the open in the face of a heated public controversy, even as lawsuits are underway and a public outcry. Police investigation is ongoing.
