All posts tagged "baldwin"

Alec Baldwin denies pulling trigger in 'Rust' shooting

Alec Baldwin has said he did not pull the trigger of the gun he was holding that killed a cinematographer on the movie set of "Rust."

In his first major interview since the tragedy in October, the US actor also said he has "no idea" how a live round had gotten onto the set of the low-budget Western in New Mexico.

"The trigger wasn't pulled -- I didn't pull the trigger," he said in an excerpt of an interview with ABC News released on Wednesday.

"No, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never."

Alec Baldwin Exclusive: 'The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger.' | ABC Newswww.youtube.com

In the interview, set to air in full on ABC on Thursday evening, Baldwin did not elaborate on how the weapon had gone off.

Baldwin, also a producer on "Rust," was rehearsing a scene in which his character brandishes a Colt .45 when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed.

The weapon was meant to contain dummy -- or fake -- rounds, and Baldwin was asked in the interview how a real bullet had ended up within the firearm.

"I have no idea. Someone put a live bullet in a gun -- a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," said Baldwin.

Prosecutors have refused to rule out criminal charges against anyone involved with "Rust," including Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Gutierrez-Reed has also said she has "no idea" why live rounds were present.

On Tuesday, investigators said Seth Kenney -- an Arizona weapon rental supplier -- may have supplied "reloaded ammunition" that matched the cartridge suspected to have contained the live round that killed Hutchins.

"Reloaded ammunition" refers to rounds that are assembled from component parts, not manufactured as complete live rounds.

"The Sheriff's office has taken a huge step forward today to unearth the full truth of who put the live rounds on the 'Rust' set," Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers said in a statement Tuesday.

The full, one-hour ABC interview with Baldwin airs on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern (0100 GMT Friday).

"Even now, I find it hard to believe," says a tearful Baldwin in the preview clip. "It just doesn't seem real to me."

"I think back, and I think of 'what could I have done?'" he says.

Man who handed Baldwin loaded gun breaks silence

A live round unknowingly fired by US actor Alec Baldwin on the set of

Los Angeles (AFP) - The crew member who handed Alec Baldwin the loaded gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of "Rust" expressed his shock and sadness Monday, in his first public comments since the tragedy.

David Halls' role in the accident on the New Mexico set of a 19th-century Western last month has been under scrutiny after he told police he had failed to fully check the firearm before the fatal incident.

In a statement to the New York Post on Monday, Halls said he is "shocked and saddened" by the death of Halyna Hutchins, but did not directly address the shooting or his role.

"Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I've worked with, but also a friend," wrote Halls.

"It's my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to re-evaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again," he added.

Along with armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, first assistant director Halls was responsible for handling and checking weapons on set, and announcing "cold gun" -- industry lingo for an inert firearm.

According to a search warrant, he told detectives he "should have checked" that all the rounds in the Colt .45 gun were dummy, or inert, rounds, "but didn't."

A live round fired by Baldwin during rehearsal passed through Halyna Hutchins' body and struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins later died of her injury.

Nearly 100,000 people have since signed a petition to permanently remove firearms from sets, noting that effects such as the loud bang and muzzle flash can easily be added to fake rubber guns in post-production.

In his statement, Halls also said he had been "overwhelmed by the love and support," and wrote, "My thoughts are with all who knew and loved Halyna."

Halls' lawyer did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.

His statement came two days after Baldwin's own first public comments on the incident, in which he told reporters that the tragedy was a "one in a trillion episode."

The US actor said he had been advised not to speak directly about the shooting due to the ongoing police investigation.

Prosecutors have refused to rule out criminal charges over the deadly shooting.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said live rounds "shouldn't have been" present, and said it appeared "there was some complacency on this set."

Outspoken Alec Baldwin made comeback with '30 Rock' and Trump

Alec Baldwin also made headlines for his outspoken political views

Los Angeles (AFP) - Alec Baldwin, the US actor who police say fired a prop gun that killed a cinematographer Thursday, sprang to fame as a 1990s Hollywood leading man before mounting a mid-career comeback as a charismatic media mogul on television comedy "30 Rock."

Baldwin was acting in and co-producing "Rust," a 19th-century Western about an accidental killing, when he discharged a prop gun, killing the film's cinematographer and wounding its director, US law enforcement officers said.

More recently known for his "Saturday Night Live" impersonations of former president Donald Trump, Baldwin has also made headlines for his marriage -- and acrimonious divorce -- to Kim Basinger, outspoken political views and hot temper.

Born in 1958, the oldest and most famous of four actor brothers, Baldwin cut his teeth on 1980s television shows such as "Knot's Landing," before breaking through with lead roles in movies "Beetlejuice" and "The Hunt for Red October."

Baldwin played the lover of Basinger in 1991's "The Marrying Man," striking up a chemistry that would lead to their real-life wedding in 1993, and a Steve McQueen remake "The Getaway" the following year.

Around the same time he earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire," later resuming the role on screen.

Other 1990s roles included "Prelude to a Kiss" opposite Meg Ryan, and a powerful cameo as a nasty real estate boss in "Glengarry Glen Ross" opposite Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon.

Baldwin was sued over a violent altercation with a paparazzo in 1995.

Basinger and Baldwin separated in 2000, and he shifted toward smaller, supporting roles in films like "Pearl Harbor" and "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Baldwin made his first -- and so far only -- directing appearance in "Shortcut to Happiness," an adaptation of 1930s short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It flopped and never received a wide theatrical release.

But Baldwin's career was rejuvenated by seven-season run in multiple-Emmy winning NBC comedy "30 Rock," in which he frequently stole the show as the suave, mega-rich and eccentric boss of Tina Fey's Liz Lemon.

Personal woes

Starting in 2006, the wildly popular show satirized the corporate-run entertainment industry, earned Baldwin personal Emmys and Golden Globes, and rejuvenated his film career.

He has appeared in films such as "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep, Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" and two "Mission: Impossible" movies.

Baldwin, well-known for his outspoken views and support of the Democratic Party, won a third Emmy in 2017 for his popular and biting "SNL" impersonations of Trump.

His uncanny impersonation mocked the former president's verbal tics and loose hand gestures and exaggerated his boastful style.

Now 63, Baldwin has continued to make headlines for his personal life.

In 2007, he left a notorious message for his then 11-year-old daughter with first wife Basinger, calling her a "rude, thoughtless little pig."

In late 2013, NBC scrapped his late-night chat show after he allegedly subjected a photographer to a homophobic slur outside his apartment on the day that a Canadian actress convicted of stalking him was jailed.

In 2018, Baldwin was arrested and charged with assault after punching a man in the face during a New York parking dispute. He pleaded guilty to a harassment charge and agreed to attend an anger management program.

He lives near New York with second wife Hilaria. The couple have six children together.

Woman dead after shooting on Alec Baldwin movie set: police

Los Angeles (AFP) - A woman has died after being shot during the filming of a movie starring Alec Baldwin, US law enforcement officers said Thursday.

The incident happened on a set in New Mexico, where Baldwin is playing the lead in a 19th-century western.

"Two individuals were shot during filming of a scene on the set of the movie western 'Rust'," the sheriff in Santa Fe said in a statement.

"One shooting victim, a 42-year-old female... has succumbed to her injuries."

The sheriff's office said the incident involved a gun that was being used as a prop.

"According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged.

"Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged."

Trade title Deadline cited a source saying "a principal castmember" had cocked the gun during rehersals, unaware that it contained live rounds.

It did not specify who the castmember was, and AFP was not able to confirm the report.

"This incident remains an active investigation," the sheriff said.

The dead woman, who was 42 years old, had been airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital.

The second person, a 42-year-old man, was taken by ambulance to a different hospital where he was said to be receiving emergency care.

Film sets usually have stringent rules over the use of prop weapons, but accidents have happened.

Most famously, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died during filming of "The Crow" after being shot by a gun that was supposed to fire blanks.

Baldwin co-produces, and stars as Harland Rust, an outlaw whose grandson is convicted of murder, and who goes on the run with him when the boy is sentenced to hang for the crime.

The 63-year-old posted a photograph earlier Thursday on Instagram showing him apparently on set, dressed in a period costume and with fake blood on his shirt.

"Back to in-person at the office. Blimey... it's exhausting," he captioned the picture, which went online several hours before the incident.

Baldwin has been on television and in films since the 1980s.

As well as a number of high profile movie roles, including in "The Hunt for Red October" and two iterations of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Baldwin has voiced animated characters in hits like "The Boss Baby".

He garnered new fans with his long-running portrayal of Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live", a character that irritated the former president, but won Baldwin a Primetime Emmy.

"Rust" also stars Jensen Ackles ("Supernaturals") and Travis Fimmel, best known for playing Ragnar Lothbrok in "Vikings".

New Mexico is a favourite location for Hollywood producers.

The Bonanza Creek Ranch where Thursday's incident took place has hosted productions including "Hostiles," "Cowboys & Aliens," "3:10 to Yuma," "Appaloosa" and "Longmire."