Alec Baldwin interview: Actor ‘couldn’t give a s***’ if career is over after Rust shooting
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Alec Baldwin has given his first interview since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the upcoming film Rust.
The actor, who allegedly fired the fatal shot from what he believed was a safe “cold gun”, spoke to ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday (30 November) for an hour-long special. During the conversation, he described how we wasn’t aware of any safety issues on set ahead of the accident, and was following instructions in the final moments before his prop gun went off and killed Ms Hutchins.
“I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it,” he said, before describing how he released the “hammer” of the gun and a shot rang out.
The Rust actor also described his grief after the shooting, and his admiration for the deceased crew member.
“I would go to any lengths to undo what happened,” he told Stephanopoulos.
“She was someone who was beloved by everyone we worked with, loved by everyone we worked with, someone who was admired by everyone who worked with her,” Mr Baldwin continued, breaking into tears.
Follow here live for all the interview updates as we get them.
What can we expect from the interview?
Alec Baldwin has given his first interview since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
The actor, who allegedly fired the fatal shot from what he believed was a safe “cold gun”, spoke to ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday (30 November). The interview will air this evening (2 December) on ABC at 8pm ET.
Stephanopoulos confirmed he and Baldwin spoke for an hour twenty minutes and he called the conversation “intense,” “raw” and “very candid”.
He added that Baldwin was “very forthcoming” in his answers and went into more detail about what happened on the set.
He explained: “I’ve done thousands of interviews in the last twenty years at ABC over the years but this was the most intense I’ve ever experienced. [It was] so raw – as you can imagine, he’s devastated. He was also very candid, he was very forthcoming, he answered every question. He talked about Halyna Hutchins, talked about meeting with her family as well. [He] went through in detail what happened on the set that day.”
You can watch a clip from the interview here:
Alec Baldwin cries as he denies pulling trigger of gun that killed Halyna Hutchins in clip from interview
In a new clip shared from the interview by ABC, Baldwin can be seen breaking down in tears and denying that he pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins.
He said: “The trigger wasn’t pulled, I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone at point a trigger at them, never.”
He continued: “Someone put a live bullet in a gun – a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” Baldwin added.
He went on to agree with Stephanopoulos who asked him if this was the “worst thing to have ever happened to him.” Baldwin replied “yes” and added: “‘I think back, I think: ‘What could I have done?’”
You can read more about the clip and what Baldwin said here:
Emotional Alec Baldwin denies pulling trigger of gun that killed Halyna Hutchins
The interview will air in full on ABC this week
How did live ammunition find its way onto set?
The shooting is still currently under investigation, but a new search warrant obtained by Deadline offers some clues as to how live ammunition may have ended up on the set.
You can read more about that in this report from my colleague Maanya Sachdeva here:
New search warrant suggests how live ammo may have ended up on Rust set
Theories have emerged about how a live round ended up in Baldwin’s prop gun
Baldwin hires a former federal prosecutor to fight Rust lawsuits
Alec Baldwin has hired former US assistant attorney Aaron Dyer to defend him in multiple lawsuits relating to the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
Baldwin is currently being sued by Rust’s script supervisor, gaffer and lighting technician all in separate lawsuits over his role in the death of Hutchins, who was shot and killed with a gun fired by the 30 Rock actor.
Script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, is the latest crew member to file suit against Baldwin, who she claims played “Russian roulette” by not personally checking if the gun was loaded.
In the suit, she claims that Baldwin “intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired a loaded gun” even though the upcoming scene “did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm”.
Baldwin has told authorities that he had been told that the gun he was using in the scene was “cold”, when in fact it was loaded with live ammunition.
Dyer has previously represented high-profile clients such as Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
He served as US assistant attorney in Los Angeles for seven years, prosecuting cases before returning to private practice in New York.
No legal charges have yet been filed in relation to the death of Hutchins, but prosecutors have said they are still investigating the incident.
It’s not clear yet whether Baldwin will address these lawsuits directly in his interview with ABC.
You can read more about the lawsuit from my colleague Sam Moore here:
Alec Baldwin hires a former federal prosecutor to fight Rust lawsuits
Aaron Dyer was the assistant US attorney in Los Angeles for seven years
The interview is set to be very “intense” according to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos
When speaking on ABC earlier on Wednesday, Stephanopoulos said that Baldwin was “very forthcoming” in their interview answers and went into more detail with him about what happened on the set.
The pair spoke for one hour and twenty minutes in an interview Stephanopoulos said was “intense,” “raw” and “very candid”.
He went on to say it was one of the most “intense” interviews of his entire career.
He explained: “I’ve done thousands of interviews in the last twenty years at ABC over the years but this was the most intense I’ve ever experienced. [It was] so raw – as you can imagine, he’s devastated.
“He was also very candid, he was very forthcoming, he answered every question. He talked about Halyna Hutchins, talked about meeting with her family as well. [He] went through in detail what happened on the set that day.”
When will the interview air?
In the US, the interview airs in full on ABC at 8pm tonight (2 December).
It’s not yet clear if the interview will be available to watch in the UK in the coming days.
Alec Baldwin set to open up about meeting Halyna Hutchins’ family
Speaking to his colleagues on air yesterday, ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos said that Baldwin opened up to him about meeting the family of Halyna Hutchins.
Stephanopoulos said: “He talked about Halyna Hutchins, talked about meeting with her family as well. [He] went through in detail what happened on the set that day.”
Previously, Hutchins’ father has said he does not hold Baldwin accountable for the accidental death of his daughter.
“We still can’t believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief,” Anatoly Androsovych, Ms Hutchins’s father, told The Sun on Sunday. “But I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible – it is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns.”
You can read the full report from my colleague Graig Graziosi here:
Father of slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins says he blames armoury team
The cinematographer was reportedly pushing for safer conditions on set
Sheriff questions Alec Baldwin’s claims that he didn’t pull the trigger
A sheriff has questioned Alec Baldwin’s claim that he didn’t pull the trigger on the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins on set.
“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in the upcoming interview, which airs later today (December 2) on ABC at 8pm ET.
He added: “No, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never.”
Now, a sheriff from the Sante Fe Sheriff’s Department has questioned that claim in a new interview with Fox News Digital.
“Guns don’t just go off,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the news outlet.
“So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he did that and it was in his hands.”
The department is currently awaiting results from the FBI which would shed light on how the gun could have been fired.
Alec Baldwin spotted ahead of ABC interview
Alec Baldwin has been spotted out in New York City close to his home today (December 2) ahead of his first interview since the shooting of Halyna Hutchins.
That’s according to a new report in The Daily Mail, which captured Baldwin and his wife Hilaria ahead of the interview airing this evening.
Viewers are deciding whether or not to watch the interview
Meanwhile, viewers on social media are struggling to decide whether or not to watch the interview.
One Twitter user said it would be “too emotional” while another said it was “too soon” to be doing an interview.
You can see some of their thoughts here:
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