Alec Baldwin is ready to put aspects of the Rust tragedy behind him. Still, the film’s star and producer says there’s not a day where he hasn’t thought about the deadly October shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the western movie set.
“I’m looking forward to some aspects of this being behind me,” Baldwin says in an Instagram video posted on Thursday. “Of course, for everyone who’s involved in this, it’s never going to be behind us because somebody died so tragically.”
“Not a day goes by I don’t think about that,” he adds.
Baldwin goes on to say at another point in the video that “going through this has been very difficult.”
On Oct. 21, while on the film’s Bonanza Creek Ranch set in Santa Fe, Baldwin discharged a firearm that accidentally struck and killed Rust director of photography Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. The incident is currently under investigation by the Sante Fe Sheriff’s department and district attorney, with the sheriff’s office, most recently issuing a warrant to search Baldwin’s cellphone.
The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed and assistant director Dave Halls are also currently under investigation.
In the video, the actor and producer says he posted the message to his social media to thank those who have sent him messages of support during the holiday season. He says that he’s received “hundreds of emails” from friends, family, colleagues and “people that I somehow hadn’t heard from in quite a while” — all sending kind words, prayers and “best wishes” of strength and hope.
Baldwin notes that he’s currently home with his family for the holidays. “All I care about is my wife and my kids and just moving forward with my life and trying to get through a tough time — a really tough time,” he says. “But I wanted to say thank you to all the people who sent me good wishes and sent me support. I’m very grateful for that.”
On Dec. 2, Baldwin’s sit down with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos for his first official on-camera interview aired, with the actor detailing the moments leading up to the shooting, including that Hutchins was guiding him in how to hold the gun for a camera angle when it went off in his hands. “The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me until 45 minutes or an hour later,” he says.
During the interview, Baldwin also shared that there is “all kinds of civil litigation” surrounding the event, including a suit filed by Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell claiming assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deliberate infliction of harm.