The father of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, whose tragic on-set death resulted from a loaded prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin, has said that he doesn’t blame the actor. The incident occurred while filming the independent western Rust, when Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon that he was told was safe to use. The subsequent tragedy that unfolded not only killed 42-year-old Hutchins, but also injured the film’s director, 48-year-old Joel Souza.
Rust was being filmed in New Mexico and due to the urgency of the situation, Hutchins was airlifted to hospital after the prop guard fired a round into her chest. She was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at the hospital, leaving behind her husband Matthew and a nine-year-old son, Andros. In the wake of the tragedy, Baldwin was questioned by local authorities but was later released. The 63-year-old Oscar-nominee has since taken to social media to relay his heartbreak over Hutchins’ death and was seen embracing Hutchins’ husband and son after the trio met for breakfast. Much has been said regarding the potential for charges and whether or not Baldwin could potentially be held criminally responsible for Hutchins’ death. However, the family of Hutchins has recently spoken out on the situation.
According to Deadline, Hutchins’ father Anatoly Androsovych has made it clear that he does not blame Baldwin for his daughter’s death. Though understandably devastated by the news, Androsovych is currently more concerned with getting to the United States in order to be with Matthew and Andros during what is an incredibly difficult time. Blame was directed at those responsible for the handling and preparing of prop weapons, however, with Hutchins’ younger sister Svetlana also speaking up about the negligence on the part of those who are meant to be professionals. Both comments can be read below:
Anatoly Androsovych: We still can’t believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief. But I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible — it is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns. [Halyna’s son] has been very badly affected — he is lost without his mother.
Svetlana Androsovych: How was this negligence allowed by such a team of professionals? This is just such an absolutely absurd coincidence. I don’t know where the investigation will lead, but there are so many guesses. God only knows what happened, it’s just so incredibly hard to live through it. The only thing we want right now is to be there with my mum next to Halyna’s husband and their son to make sure he feels our support.
As of this writing, police continue to investigate the case, with a great deal of attention focused on the film’s assistant director Dave Halls, who reportedly selected the weapon from a tray where three others had been placed. After clarifying that the weapon was not loaded with live rounds by announcing “cold gun” to the cast and crew, Halls proceeded to hand it to Baldwin, who went on to fire it. Further reports from the film’s crew have apparently emphasized that prior to the lethal incident, conditions on the set were “super unsafe.”
While it initially looked as though the incident was down to Alec Baldwin’s actions, this is no longer the case. The past behavior of Halls on the Blumhouse TV series Into the Dark has prompted a deeper focus on the AD. Though there has been no confirmation as to why he was perviously not rehired for further episodes of the series, a source close to that production has said that Halls’ on set manner was described as “intimidating” and “very aggressive”, and a complaint was filed against him. It remains impossible at this point to determine who, if anyone, will be found to be at fault for Halyna’s death on the set of Rust, but the tragedy has certainly rocked the entertainment world to its core.
Source: Deadline