There is quite the chatter around Hollywood, after the news of Halyna Hutchins’s unfortunate death broke. She received a fatal hit to her chest by a gun fired by actor and comedian Alec Baldwin on the sets of the film Rust. After receiving transportation to a hospital by helicopter, the 42-year-old cinematographer died soon. Moreover, Baldwin’s shooting has left the director, Joel Souza, injured. Hutchins was the Director of Photography for the film.
Hutchins was quickly growing as a budding cinematographer in the industry, with a lot of notable work to her name. She is a part of numerous short films, and received significant appreciation for her great work in the 2020 film Archenemy. The director, Adam Egypt Mortimer, expressed his grief on social media at the loss.
Prop gun was ‘safe to use’
The issue has caused a lot of anger amongst the public, who are complaining about the usage of live arms in films. Prop masters have the extensive knowledge to create faux things that are as real as their real counterparts. Usually, prop guns contain blanks, that create a spark and a loud noise upon firing without ejecting anything from the muzzle. Baldwin was reportedly told that the gun was safe to use, and an anonymous director said that he didn’t know that live ammunition was being used.
Condolences have poured in for Hutchins, and her bereaved husband and son. Alec Baldwin took to Twitter to express his regret and grief at his involvement in her death, stating that his “heart is broken”.
Investigations are ongoing related to the accident. Many crew members have previously lost their lives during filming. In 1993, Brandon Lee died after being shot by a dummy bullet on the sets of The Crow. Lee is the son of famed martial arts superstar Bruce Lee. Brandon’s sister, Shannon took to social media condoling the death of Hutchins. She strongly claimed that incidents like these should never be happening.
