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Alec Baldwin DENIES pulling trigger of gun that killed Halyna Hutchins on 'Rust' set

Alec Baldwin has taken an interview for the first time after the shooting on 'Rust' set, but seemed to deny pulling the gun's trigger in the first place

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by a prop gun on the set of 'Rust' on October 21, 2021. In the weeks that followed, we learned more about the inner workings of Hollywood, and how such a tragedy may have occurred. Months later, actor Alec Baldwin, who is at the center of this tragedy, has opened up for the first time about the incident, providing a rather confusing take.

From police reports, we know the crew used live ammunition on set and that the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed possibly mixed the live ammunition with the blanks. We also know both Gutierrez-Reed and Assistant Director Dave Halls had a long history of complaints and "corners were being cut" on safety in the production of 'Rust'. The role of Baldwin though has always remained a little murky.

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Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell said Baldwin "intentionally" shot Hutchins, and violated on-set gun safety protocols. "Alec Baldwin intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired and loaded gun even though the upcoming scene to be filmed did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm," she said in a lawsuit against the actor and the production firm. After months of speculation though, we will finally hear from the man himself.

'The trigger wasn't pulled'

ABC will release the exclusive interview with Baldwin on Dec 2, his first since the 'Rust' shooting. A promo for the interview was released on Dec 1 on social media, with some lines from the interview. Dubbed 'Alec Baldwin Unscripted', the interview with George Stephanopoulos will finally give us Baldwin's versions of events. So far, from the promo, things seem a little confusing.

The actor acknowledged the gun was in his hand, as the police report and numerous on-set personnel's statements confirm, but then Baldwin offers a slightly different version. "The trigger wasn't pulled, I didn't pull the trigger," he said. Baldwin continued, "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them, never." Since the line has been taken out of context for the promo, it's unclear if Baldwin will explain how the gun fired without him pulling the trigger. 

The interview also covers other areas like how a live bullet got on set. "A bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," he called it. You can see the promo here, as ABC uploaded to Twitter-

Given that Baldwin claims he didn't pull the trigger, the big question is - how did the bullet get fired? Was the prop prone to accidents? We should know soon. In the meantime, social media appears divided over Baldwin's claims. Many are still sharing messages of support for the actor, who broke down during the interview. Other's though, weren't so keen to let him off the hook. 

'So it was a magical gun?'

"What a shocker, Alec Baldwin not taking responsibility for his actions," one person responded. Another asked, "Then how was the weapon discharged?" One user similarly asked, "He never pulled the trigger? So it was a magical gun that just randomly fires itself?" A person tweeted, "Dear @AlecBaldwin Guns don’t go off by themself. You pointed it at a person and pulled the trigger."

The interview will air at 7 pm Central Time on ABC, after which it will become available to stream on Hulu.