‘Rust’ director was “busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan” instead of watching Alec Baldwin’s reality show
Rust director Joel Souza has reflected on being shot during filming, the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and why he refused to watch Alec Baldwin’s new reality show.
In late 2021, Baldwin fired a prop gun, which had been loaded with ammunition without his knowledge, that led to Hutchins’ death while on the set of Rust. Baldwin later faced a trial for involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed. Souza was also shot in the shoulder.
Baldwin’s decision to document his mental health struggles relating to Hutchins’ death in the new reality show, The Baldwins, had previously been condemned by her family, whose legal representatives said, “Is his reality show just a veiled attempt to create sympathy for himself with a future jury pool in our civil case? Is this just a shameless attempt to portray him as the real victim in this case?”
Now, Souza has explained he also couldn’t bring himself to watch Baldwin’s television programme, joking to The Guardian in a new interview: “I think I was busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan that night.”
He also reflected upon being shot, saying, “I don’t remember what was going through my head. One of the stranger aspects is that it felt like I was lying there for five minutes. Apparently, it was half an hour.” Souza added: “I knew I could breathe but I didn’t know what to expect until I got to the hospital.”
The death of Hutchins has made Souza regret ever starting Rust, revealing, “You think about the chain of events that started that morning. Bad decision after bad decision was made.” He continued: “I wish I never wrote the damn movie.”
However, Rust was eventually finished and will arrive in US cinemas on May 2nd, which Souza says is because the late cinematographer’s “family wanted it completed”. The director explained: “I’d been repelled by the thought of going back, but now it started to appeal. And I couldn’t live with the idea of someone else doing it.”
Souza also thanked the crew and his family who “carried me through” filming, stating, “I was a mess going in and a mess coming out.”
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