Grief-stricken shoot with Alec Baldwin: Director speaks for the first time since the tragedy – Cinema News

Joel Souza breaks his silence. For the first time since the tragedy that occurred on the set of Rust, the director agreed to answer a long interview with the magazine Vanity Fair. Himself seriously injured during the tragedy, he had never spoken before.

Reminder of the drama and the outcome of the trial

Background: While filming Joel Souza's Rust, Alec Baldwin brandished his gun, which he thought was loaded with blanks, and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured the director. The actor has always maintained his innocence, saying he was assured the gun was harmless.

In November 2022, he in turn filed a complaint against the production for negligence. After an initial indictment in January 2023, the actor saw the charges against him dropped in April 2023. However, on January 19, 2024, Alec Baldwin was again charged with involuntary manslaughter by the prosecutor in charge of the investigation. His trial began on Tuesday, July 9 before being canceled a few days later.

Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison last April. The investigation never established how the real bullets ended up on the set.

The scene of the drama will never be seen

In the interview, we learn that the scene in which the cinematographer died has been completely removed. “Viewers will never see the scene that led to the horrific accident: It's completely gone,” Vanity Fair reports.

There are also doubts whether the entire film will ever be seen. The editing of the film is complete.However, it has not been offered for sale to US distributors, making its release uncertain.“

It's important that people see Halyna Hutchins' latest work

Joel Souza explains why he finally decided to finish the film.I couldn't let someone else finish what she and I had started. I just couldn't.“

It also states: “I knew that the film, when completed, would benefit Halyna's family financially, which is very important to me. I know this may sound trivial to people who don't have a creative profession, but her latest work is important. The fact that people see her latest work is important. That's what made my decision.“

Paying tribute to the work of Halyna Hutchins

Joel Souza takes advantage of this interview to highlight Halyna Hutchins' talent: “She was very enthusiastic. Halyna was so brilliant. If this industry was fair, she should have been out of my reach. She should have been doing big studio movies. She should have been overrated for a movie the size of ours..”

A lot of bullshit was written, very quickly.

The director also gives his opinion on the media hype caused by the tragedy.After the shooting, there was a lot of information that investigators later called inaccurate. One rumor that many people believed was that the crew members were putting real bullets in the prop guns to shoot bottles and cans for fun…A website picked up on that rumor the same day, I think, and said, “They were shooting targets at lunch.” I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t we have heard that? Guns make noise. Wouldn’t we have heard gunshots?” Even the cops said they never saw any evidence. I’ve never heard of anything that makes me think that happened..”

And to add: “A lot of crap was written, very quickly. And I didn't care if something made us look like the good guys or the bad guys, as long as it was true.“

Joel Souza said he was so affected by the tragedy and the death of Halyna Hutchins that he hoped he would die from his injuries himself.I remember going to sleep that night hoping I wouldn't wake up the next day. I was hoping I would bleed out during the night because I didn't want to be there anymore. It was a very difficult time. I remember thinking, ' Maybe I'll bleed out, that would suit me just fine.”

I think it would be dishonest and absurd to say that people didn't make mistakes.

Finally, Joel Souza shares his perspective on the trial.I think it would be dishonest and absurd to say that people didn't make mistakes. I don't think anyone can argue that there was an ounce of intentionality. But when it comes to issues like ammunition, firearms, and safety, you don't mess around. You just can't. So the gunsmith had to answer for her role in this. And Dave chose to answer for it. I think resentment can eat away at your soul…“

The full interview can be found on the Vanity Fair website.