Alec Baldwin won’t watch Rust after fatal shooting on set: ‘Most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with’

Alec Baldwin has not seen nor does he want to see the final cut of his movie, Rust.

During production, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live round from a prop gun the actor was handling at the time. Director Joel Souza was injured by the same bullet which hit Hutchins but survived.

Baldwin said the fallout from the fatal shooting of Hutchins in October 2021 has been the “most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life”, he told Variety.

Baldwin faced charges from Santa Fe prosecutors including involuntary manslaughter but the charges were dropped three days after his trial started in July.

Rust had a lowkey premiere last week at the Camerimage International Film Festival in Poland. Festival organisers said Baldwin was not invited to attend, but Souza was present and took part in a Q&A with replacement cinematographer Bianca Cline.

This week, Baldwin was at the Torino Film Festival in Italy when he gave an interview to Variety and said that while he had been sent an early cut of Rust, he hasn’t seen it nor does he, for now, plan to given how “sticky and difficult” the events had become.

Baldwin said he only finished the film, which resumed production a year after the shooting after a conversation he had with Souza.

“In order to finish the film – and this is the only thing I can say about it because I have another pending (civil) case – we travelled to Montana. All my doctors told me, ‘don’t go’. Mental health practitioners, cardiologists. I mean, I was very sick afterwards for a while, physically drained and ill. But I went.”

He added, “‘If it’s the only way we can settle the case with (Hutchins’) husband (Matthew Hutchins) and the estate is to finish the film, let’s do it’. So we go to Montana, we finish, and I waived my fee, I gave them back the fee in the budget. I waived all my backend. I gave everything to her husband. He owns the film.”

The producers and Matthew Hutchins settled a lawsuit in October 2022 which involved the cinematographer’s husband taking over as executive producer.

Matthew Hutchins said at the time, “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

Baldwin and the production is facing a separate civil action from Halyna Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, who last week criticised the premiere of Rust and claimed it was profiting from her daughter’s death.

A representative for Rust Movie Productions, Melina Spadone, refuted Solovey’s accusations and said none of the producers will stand to profit from its release.

She added, “The suggestion that those involved in completing Halyna Hutchins’ film were motivated by profit is disrespectful to those who worked tirelessly to honour her legacy.”

The film is a western set in the 19th century and features Baldwin as an ageing outlaw who emerges from hiding to rescue his teenage nephew from a death sentence. The two then become fugitives.

The cast also includes Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher and Jake Busey. Brady Noon was originally to play the nephew character but was replaced by Patrick Scott McDermott when Noon didn’t return to the production when filming resumed after the shooting.

Baldwin, who also co-wrote the screenplay, said he had been elated that the independent production had finally found financing and locations after years of scrapping.

But now the movie will forever be overshadowed by the tragedy which has also had a profound effect on his personal wellbeing. He added he wants to try and move on from it.

“When you are married to somebody and everything was going fairly well, and we had seven kids… and the floor falls out,” he said. “It’s very frightening and disturbing. We are trying to get the wind in our sails to get away from this stuff.”

Baldwin has recently returned to his old stomping ground of Saturday Night Live, playing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rust armourer Hannah Gutirrez-Reed was convicted of on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Assistant director David Halls pleased no contest to a misdemeanour charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to six months’ probation, a fine and community service.

Rust has a distribution deal in the US but nothing has been confirmed for an Australia release.