'Rust' location manager claims 'revenge' plot against Alec Baldwin may have led to loaded gun
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Although it was initially believed that the fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust' was a horrific accident, an industry veteran has hypothesized that an employee may have intentionally loaded the gun with the bullet out of stress and a desire for "revenge" on the actor. Location manager John Dilbeck, the fiancé of Julia Roberts' late sister Nancy Motes, has spoken out, saying he was exasperated with the state of Hollywood after the pandemic.
Dilbeck contends that Baldwin's shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is merely incidental to what happens in the background of movies. Baldwin, 64, pleaded not guilty last week to involuntary manslaughter after Hutchins was killed on set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021 by a Colt .45 he was carrying during rehearsals.
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Who is John Dilbeck?
The fiancé of late Nancy Motes', John Dilbeck, was formerly a server at a Chinese restaurant and is now a location manager for film and television, as per Daily Entertainment News.
Given the toxic environment among crew and actors, Dilbeck, 40, who contributed significantly to 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' and its spin-off shows, is willing to consider the prospect that this may not have been an accident. He places some of the blame on the pricey Covid protocol, which has caused budgets to be severely cut while A-list actors continue to expect the same millions they earned prior to the pandemic.
'Somebody may have deliberately put that round in the chamber'
"I don't honestly believe that Alec Baldwin wanted to kill anyone, but I do believe somebody may have deliberately put that round in the chamber to set him up because they were tired of his abuse. "These actors are not who you think they are and Alec Baldwin has always been egotistical, it’s renowned in the industry," Dilbeck said to The Sun. He added, "By their own orchestration of cutting money and costs, they created the parameter of danger and they are absolutely responsible. And when I say they, [I mean] Alec Baldwin is responsible. He is an executive producer. He has done this long enough to know better. He's tried to blame virtually everyone else," he continued.
'If I was a location manager on Rust, I would have stopped'
Dilbeck continued by expressing worries about harm in the industry. "Hollywood is out of control, we need to stop the toxicity in this industry, which is near enough killing people. If we as an industry, and also the justice system, don’t make an example out of Alec Baldwin, what or who will stop the next Alec Baldwin from breaking the rules?" The Locations Manager added, "He kept pushing the crew. We know there were many crew strikes leading up to that incident. They had multiple strikes, even on the day of the shooting. If I was a location manager on Rust, I would have stopped and shut their permit down. I could have saved someone's life potentially like I was trying to with Nancy."