The assistant director of the film ‘Rust’, that is, the person on the crew who gave Alec Baldwin the weapon that was later loaded, had been fired in the past for a similar incident. The production company of ‘Rust’ revealed to CNN. Dave Halls, a former actor, assistant director for thirty years, worked in ‘Fargo’, the Coen brothers’ 1996 film, ‘Matrix Reloaded’, 2003, and ‘Cell Block 99: Nobody Can Stop Me’. of 2017. Two years ago, during the filming of ‘Freedom’s Path’, a rifle “inexplicably unloaded on the set” had injured, in a minor way, a sound engineer, who ended up on the ground as a result of the explosion of the shot. had caused his hearing damage. The accident had led to the interruption of the work. The technician had returned to the set after a few days, but Halls, who was in charge of checking the status of the weapons to be used on stage, had been fired on the spot by Rockhill Studios.
Filming, the company explained to CNN, “didn’t restart until Halls quit his job.” The assistant director seemed “full of remorse but he understood the gravity of what had happened”. It was soon replaced by another and the film finished. “He was an unreliable person – said a colleague, preferring to remain anonymous – and yet, despite the various reports, he continued to work”. On Thursday, at the end of a chain of negligence, including leaving the props unattended, it went tragically. Baldwin was trying out in front of the camera a gun called “cold gun”, that is unloaded, by Halls, when at a certain point a shot went off. The director of photography, who was facing the actor, put her hands to her belly and collapsed to the ground. The director, Joel Souza, was injured in the shoulder. For the 42-year-old woman taken to hospital, there was nothing to be done. The director will be okay. But nothing will ever be the same again in the world of American cinema. Shooting for the film has been suspended indefinitely.
In a letter sent to the cast and crew of ‘Rust’, the top of the production announced the stop until the “investigation is completed”. “Our thoughts – they write – go to all of you who, like us, are living this tragic moment and mourn the death of your colleague and dear friend, Halyna Hutchins”. “We are a family – they continue – and we must support each other as families do in times of difficulty. We remain in close contact with that of Halyna and praise the strength she is showing in the face of this indescribable tragedy ”. Baldwin is still upset. His wife, Hilaria, first commented on the tragedy. “My thoughts go to Halyna – she wrote on Instagram – her husband, her son, their family, their loved ones. And to my Alec ”. “There are no words – he added – to express the shock and pain of such a tragedy”. Hollywood is mobilizing: in addition to the petition to ban real weapons from the sets, which has collected over 15,000 signatures in a few hours, many production companies are reviewing their internal protocols. The ABC TV series, “The Rookie ‘, has announced that from now on it will only use compressed air pistols, with reduced power plastic bullets.
.