Baldwin shifting blame for film set death, says widower

ALEC BALDWIN should accept responsibility for the death of a cinematographer he shot on a film set in New Mexico, her husband said in his first interview since the incident.

Matt Hutchins said it was “absurd” that Baldwin believed he was not at fault for the shooting of Halyna Hutchins and was “so angry” when the film star tried to shift the blame on to others.

“The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me,” Mr Hutchins told the Today show.

Baldwin said in a December interview with ABC News that he was pointing the gun at Halyna Hutchins at her instruction on the set of Rust when it went off, even though he had not pulled the trigger.

The gunshot killed her and wounded Joel Souza, the film’s director.

The 63-year-old Emmy and Golden Globe winner added “someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but it’s not me”.

Responding yesterday, Mr Hutchins said: “Watching him I just felt so angry. I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her. It almost sounds like he is the victim. Hearing him blame Halyna in the interview and shift responsibility to others and seeing him crying about it. Are we really supposed to feel bad about you, Mr Baldwin?

“The idea that the person holding the gun [and] causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me.

“Every individual who touches a firearm has a responsibility for gun safety.”

Mr Hutchins and his nine-year-old son are the plaintiffs in a wrongful death lawsuit filed last week that names Baldwin, the film’s producers and others as defendants.

It alleges that Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, and his coproducers showed “callous” disregard in the face of safety complaints, and their “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures” led directly to her death.

Aaron Dyer, Baldwin’s lawyer, said that any claim the actor was reckless was “entirely false”.

At least four other lawsuits have been filed over the shooting, but Mr Hutchin’s is the first directly tied to one of the two people shot.

Last month Mr Baldwin handed his mobile phone to investigators and Mr Dyer said he continued to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Investigators are yet to decide whether to file charges.