Alec Baldwin interview: what did he say about shooting gun that killed Halyna Hutchins on set of Rust movie?

Alec Baldwin has said he cocked the gun but didn’t pull the trigger in the Rust shooting tragedy which killed Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin was speaking in the first interview he’s given since Ms Hutchins death in October on the set of the western.

The actor broke down in tears while speaking about Hutchins and her death and said he dreams constantly about what happened. He also admitted that he doesn’t care about his career anymore and that it could be over.

Here’s what you need to know about what he said and what happened on the set of Rust.

What happened on the set of Rust

The actor, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Hutchins when a prop gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western in New Mexico.

The Hollywood star, who is a producer on the film as well as its star, was rehearsing with the weapon having been told it was safe.

A police investigation is under way, with officers previously saying it was too early to know if criminal charges would be brought in the case.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed was the armourer on the set of Rust and handed the weapon to the assistant director who gave it to Baldwin.

The shooting, which also wounded Rust director Joel Souza, has sparked a debate about the use of firearms on set in Hollywood.

Production on Rust has been halted indefinitely while authorities investigate the shooting.

What has the actor said in first interview since the shooting?

In his first interview since the tragedy Baldwin spoke to George Stephanopoulos in an ABC News Special: Alec Baldwin Unscripted.

Speaking of Hutchins he said: “She was someone who was loved, liked by everyone who worked with her, and admired.

“Even now, I find it hard to believe that, it just doesn’t seem real to me.”

During the interview Baldwin was often emotional and could be seen wiping away tears.

Baldwin told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos he dreams about the incident “constantly”, adding: “I couldn’t give a s*** about my career anymore.”

Stephanopoulos then asked Baldwin “is it over?”, to which he replied: “It could be.”

In the exclusive interview, which aired on ABC in the US on Thursday night, Baldwin said he cocked the gun that killed Hutchins but “didn’t pull the trigger”.

On the day of the shooting, Baldwin told Stephanopoulos he and Hutchins met to rehearse a scene in which he was playing a character who drew his weapon on two foes.

Baldwin recalled that during the rehearsal, the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him a revolver and told him “this is a cold gun” – an industry term for a weapon that is either empty or loaded with dummy rounds.

The actor said Hutchins proceeded to instruct him on where and how to hold the weapon, “which ended up being aimed right below her armpit”.

In order to get a particular shot, Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun but not fire it.

He said: “I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’. And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”

Stephanopoulos then asked if Baldwin ever pulled the trigger.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Baldwin replied. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”

What did he say about the impact it has had on him?

The actor was also asked if he felt any personal responsibility for Hutchins’ death.

“No. no. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly,” Baldwin said.

“I don’t know what happened on that set. Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.

“Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

Although there has been speculation that Baldwin could face criminal charges over the incident, he told Stephanopolous people “in the know” believe that to be “highly unlikely”.

However, he said the events of the day continue to weigh on him.

“I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse.”

What has happened since the shooting?

Baldwin has called for film and TV production companies to hire police officers to “monitor weapons safety” on set.

Last month he had shared a short statement originally posted on his arts foundation’s social media account, which said: “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.”

Following the shooting, Santa Fe county sheriff said there had been “some complacency” in how weapons were handled.

Authorities in Santa Fe are probing how a suspected live round came to be in the firearm, which had been declared safe by an assistant director, according to court documents.

A crew member who worked on the Rust film set is suing Baldwin over the fatal shooting.

Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor who called 911 following the incident, is suing the actor and Rust’s producers.

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Baldwin should not have trusted a gun handed to him by someone who was not the prop master or the film’s armourer.

The gun was allegedly handed to the actor by the assistant director, who it is believed shouted “cold gun” upon passing it to Baldwin.

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