Veteran Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun while filming a scene in the US state of New Mexico, causing the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. The incident occurred on the set of 'Rust', an independent feature that was being filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular production location, reports variety.com.
Production has been halted on the movie and no charges have been filed over the incident, which is being investigated.
According to AP, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said a 42-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital, where she died, while a 42-year-old man was getting emergency care at another hospital.
A spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Baldwin was seen Thursday outside the sheriff’s office in tears, but attempts to get a comment from him were unsuccessful. Earlier, the 63-year-old actor had posted a photograph on Thursday on Instagram showing him apparently on set, dressed in a period costume and with fake blood on his shirt, however he later deleted the post.
In the movie 'Rust', Baldwin is playing the lead in a 19th-century western. The movie is about a 13-year-old boy who is left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, according to the Internet Movie Database website. The teen goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather (played by Baldwin) after the boy is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Rust Movie Productions LLC, the production entity behind the film, issued a statement on Thursday night, saying that the cast and crew are "devastated" and that the company is cooperating fully with the investigation.
“According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged,” sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios told the Albuquerque Journal. “Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”
Film sets usually have stringent rules over the use of prop weapons, but accidents have happened.
Most famous case of prop shooting being Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who died during filming of "The Crow" after being shot by a gun that was supposed to fire blanks.
Alec Baldwin has been a part of Hollywood television and film industry since the 1980s. His popular film include "The Hunt for Red October" "Mission: Impossible" franchise. Baldwin has also voiced animated characters in hits like "The Boss Baby".
He is best known for his long-running portrayal of Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live", a character that won Baldwin a Primetime Emmy.
With agency inputs.