Alec Baldwin is describing the fatal shooting on the set of his movie as a "one in a trillion episode" and says he supports limits on the use of real guns in films and television shows.
Alec Baldwin says he will support any moves to limit the use of firearms on movie sets. Photo: AFP
Baldwin, speaking with reporters for the first time since he accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a gun he was told was not loaded, said he had been told not to comment on the investigation by authorities in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
"I'm not allowed to make any comments because it's an ongoing investigation," the actor told reporters in an impromptu roadside conversation with photographers and camera crews who had located him in a small town in Vermont.
"We are eagerly awaiting the sheriff's department telling us what their investigation has yielded," Baldwin said.
Hutchins, 42, was killed and Joel Souza, the director of the indie Western movie Rust, was wounded when Baldwin fired a gun loaded with a real bullet during a rehearsal on the set on 21 October. Baldwin had been told the gun was safe.
A candle-lit vigil for cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo: AFP / 2021 Anadolu Agency
No charges have been filed against anyone and the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department has said its investigation will take time to complete. It remains unclear how live ammunition found its way on to the set.
Baldwin called Hutchins his friend and said her family was "overwhelmed with grief".
"There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode," he said.
The incident has led to calls by some in the industry for real guns, which usually carry blanks or dummy bullets, to be banned on movie and television sets. Baldwin said he supported the efforts.
"I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I'm extremely interested in," Baldwin said. "Some new measures have to be taken.
"I'm not an expert in this field. So whatever other people decide is the best way to go, in terms of protecting people's safety on film sets, I'm all in favour of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can."
Baldwin, best known for TV comedy 30 Rock, and his wife, Hilaria, have six children. He asked the media to stop following him and his family.
- Reuters