Alec Baldwin is making his return to acting five months after the on-set accident that left director of photography Halyna Hutchins dead while filming the Western Rust last year. Hutchins was shot when a prop gun handled by Baldwin discharged a live bullet, striking the 42-year-old in the torso. Another crew member, 48-year-old Joel Souza, was also injured in the incident. A fierce legal battle is currently underway between Hutchins' estate and the filmmakers.
The shooting was arguably the biggest story in Hollywood in recent years and left many of the parties involved pointing fingers at one another. Accounts differ as to what exactly happened on October 21, 2021. Baldwin has said that he did nothing wrong and that a crew member must have inserted a live bullet, "a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," into the gun before filming. But the production's armorer has said that Baldwin acted irresponsibly and "against all rules and common sense" leading up to the fatal moment. In the months following the incident, Baldwin has since deleted his Twitter account and kept mostly out of the public eye.
Now, however, per Deadline, the embattled actor is once again in front of the camera. Baldwin is starring in a pair of Christmas movies, Kid Santa and Billie’s Magic World, along with his brother William Baldwin. The movies will reportedly be live-action/animation hybrids and feature the Baldwins in the live-action segments. Filming on the projects is currently underway in Rome.
Only time will tell who will ultimately be held accountable for Hutchins' tragic death. The incident highlights the need for stricter gun safety rules on movie sets. Many actors and filmmakers have since come forward to stress the importance of safety protocols and some have even questioned the use of functioning guns in the first place. Dwayne Johnson has vowed to never use real guns in his future projects.
There are still countless questions left to be answered about what happened on the set of Rust that day. But until those answers come in, Alec Baldwin is officially back to work. No matter the outcome, nothing will make Hutchins' death any less tragic or unnecessary. The incident is somewhat reminiscent of the equally tragic accident that befell Brandon Lee while filming The Crow in 1994. In another incident involving a purportedly safe prop gun, Lee was struck with a piece of shrapnel, killing him. Hopefully, with another life senselessly lost nearly 30 years later, filmmakers will effect change to ensure there won't be another Brandon Lee or Halyna Hutchins.
Source: Deadline