- Quentin Tarantino partially imputes blame towards him.
A court recently dropped charges against Alec Baldwin (66) related to his involvement in the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust," but film director Quentin Tarantino (61) isn't ready to forgive him just yet. Tarantino shared his thoughts during an appearance on comedian Bill Maher's podcast "Club Random" (68). The discussion centered around the incident where a gun Baldwin was holding accidentally fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (1979-2021).
Maher believes it's absurd that Baldwin had to face trial, and Tarantino partly agrees, stating, "The armorers are 90% responsible for everything that happens with the gun." However, he adds, "The actor is 10% responsible. It's a dangerous weapon. You're somewhat responsible for its safety as well." Known for his frequent use of firearms in his films, Tarantino emphasized this point.
Tarantino disagrees with SAG-AFTRA's assessment
Tarantino disagrees with the stance taken by actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which labeled an actor's responsibility in such incidents as zero percent. In their January 2024 statement, they explained, "An actor's role is not to be an expert in firearms or weapons handling." They continued, "Guns are provided on set under the guidance of multiple safety experts responsible for proper use."
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on "Rust," was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Despite this, Baldwin's case was dismissed in July 2024 due to a procedural mistake. However, the prosecution allegedly withheld crucial evidence from Baldwin's legal team.
With the criminal trial charges dropped, Baldwin is now immune to prosecution. However, Halyna Hutchins' family plans to continue pursuing Baldwin in a civil lawsuit.
Tarantino suggested that while armorers are primarily responsible for gun safety on sets, actors also hold a partial debt of responsibility, acknowledging that they have a role in ensuring the weapon's safety due to its dangerous nature. Despite SAG-AFTRA stating an actor's responsibility in gun incidents as zero percent, Tarantino disagreed with this assessment.