Alec Baldwin shared a message that pushed back against reports of unsafe conditions on the set of “Rust” prior to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The actor reposted a lengthy note written by costume designer Terese Magpale Davis who slammed the claims as “bulls—” and denied workers were “overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions.”
Nov. 3, 202102:14
“We never worked more than a 12.5 hour shoot day. That was once. Most days were under 12. The day Halyna died we had come off of a 12 hour turnaround after an 11 hour shoot day,” Davis’ post read. “No one was too tired to do their jobs.”
Baldwin shared screenshots of Davis’ message Tuesday on his Instagram account, writing “Read this” in the caption.
Hutchins died last month when Baldwin discharged a prop firearm, striking her and film director Joel Souza. Souza was taken to a hospital in New Mexico, where the movie was filming, and is currently at home recovering from his injuries.
In the message, Davis disputed several reports other crew members have made to the media claiming that they did not have proper housing and that producers did not follow proper safety protocols in order to save money.
“These producers who supposedly don’t care about their crew have worked tirelessly alongside us. They were some of the most approachable and warm producers I’ve ever worked with. Concerns were heard and addressed,” she said.
Davis continued: “These are not studio producers who see us as walking dollar signs. They cared about us while we all worked together and they continue to care. They continue to call to check up on the crew. They continue to pick up the phone for any of us who call them. They’re people.”
Davis went on to say that she wanted the main focus to remain on Hutchins and improving gun safety on movie sets.
“I’ll fight for better gun safety on set in Halyna’s name. I’ll fight to never have a live gun on set again in her name. … But I’m not okay with using her to be the poster child for better hours,” Davis wrote.
Davis could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, but she released a statement defending her posts.
Oct. 30, 202102:55
“Movie sets for me are like families, they are each beautiful experiences and ‘Rust’ was a particularly tight set. Halyna was at the center of our family, the brightest light and to have 1 or 2 people destroy her beauty with ugly, false noise is compounding the hurt and making the grieving process that much harder,” she said. “This is a time for people to come together to comfort one another.”
Baldwin has only spoken briefly on the fatal shooting. In an Oct. 22 tweet, he expressed his condolences.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin tweeted. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
On Saturday he spoke on-camera for the first time about the shooting, saying Hutchins was his friend.
“The day we arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting I took her to dinner with Joel, the director,” Baldwin said. “We were a very, very well-oiled crew doing a film together and then this horrible event happened.”
No charges have been filed in connection to the shooting.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
