‘I Didn’t Pull The Trigger,’ Alec Baldwin Says Of ‘Rust’ Movie Set Shooting
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Alec Baldwin has broken his silence about the deadly incident on his New Mexico film set Rust back in October that left a cinematographer dead.
He sat down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to open up about the shooting in a prime-time special airing on that network Thursday night. This is the first time the actor has spoken in-depth about the fatal shooting publicly.
I’ve done thousands of interviews over the last twenty years. This was the most intense.
Watch TOMORROW at 8pm ET on @ABC and stream later on @hulu. https://t.co/vAGAy7KfSQ pic.twitter.com/DqbrNmMD7X— George Stephanopoulos (@GStephanopoulos) December 1, 2021
In a very different account of what has been circulating in the six weeks since the incident, Baldwin said he never pulled the trigger of the gun that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
“The Trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin said in a preview released Wednesday.
He also added, “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never.”
The 63-year-old went on to say he has no idea how the live bullet got into the revolver in the first place. “Someone put a live bullet in the gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” he explained.
As an emotional Baldwin answers the journalist’s questions, it’s clear to observe the incident has taken a great toll on him. Stephanopoulos also directly asked the 63-year-old if this is the worse thing that’s ever happened to him. With no hesitation Baldwin said “yes,” adding “I think back and I think of what could I have done.”
Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured after officials said Baldwin discharged a weapon during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie. The gun had what authorities suspect was a live round.
As the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department continue to investigate the deadly shooting — many are calling for better safety practices on sets when it comes to weapon use.
No criminal charges have been filed.
