Nick Cannon speaks in favor of Alec Baldwin amid 'Rust' tragedy, calls him 'one of the greats'
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Nick Cannon has spoken out in support of Alec Baldwin amid the 'Rust' tragedy which saw the fatal shooting of the film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The TV host not only backed up the 65-year-old actor but also called him "one of the greats."
While appearing to promote his new radio show 'The Daily Cannon' premiering Monday on Amp during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cannon took the opportunity to speak kindly of his co-star and touched on their upcoming film 'Hollywood Heist'. "He is my man. I've been supporting him just as a fan, man. He's one of the greats, but then obviously the unfortunate and tragic situation that he’s in the middle of. When things like that happen, all you can do is pray for your friends and you colleagues, and the prayers were answered," he told ET’s Kevin Frazier over the weekend. Meanwhile, Baldwin has returned to film their co-starring meta-crime comedy after settling the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the late cinematographer's husband Matthew Hutchins.
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Alec Baldwin returns to the set of 'Rust' after involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped
'Prayers, shout outs. Love him'
Speaking of how much he loved working with the veteran actor, Cannon said that Baldwin had to play a character loosely based on himself in the film. "It gave him the opportunity to take his mind off of some very serious stuff that was going on in his mind, because when we were making it, he was in the midst of all of that. So, prayers, shout outs. Love him," he shared. "I can't wait for people to see the film. And once you see our film, which is called 'Hollywood Heist', you'll see that it's the inner workings of Hollywood. So, he's almost playing a very similar character, and the film has this like a 'Big Lebowski'/'Pulp Fiction'-type of vibe," the 42-year-old star added.
Prosecutors dropped charges against Baldwin
In January, Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after a shocking accident during the filming of 'Rust' involving him holding a gun that discharged on set, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. However, earlier this month, his attorneys announced that prosecutors were dropping charges but warned that it "does not absolve [him] of criminal culpability." Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis explained that "charges may be refiled" after further investigations are done.
'Charges may be refiled'
"Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander 'Alec' Rae Baldwin, III,” the pair said in a statement to ET. "Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We, therefore, will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr Baldwin to conduct further investigation," it continued. "This decision does not absolve Mr Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and ongoing."