After the deadly accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins in October, Alec Baldwin has released a statement joining the Rust cast and crew in solidarity. Together, the various members of the Rust team are hoping to dispel the narrative that the set was unsafe and unprofessional. The assertion from the joint statement is that there were no major problems with the production prior to the accident.
The statement goes on to dispute the descriptions of Rust as a “chaotic, dangerous, and exploitative workplace.” Baldwin and the Rust team also say that the narrative distracts from what matters most, which is the memory of Halyna Hutchins and the need to find “modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices.” This echoes Baldwin recently calling for police officers to monitor firearm safety on movie sets. The letter, signed by 24 employees, also disputes the claims made by the “disgruntled few” crew members who left the movie prior to the accident. They note that the majority of the team remained, never “feeling the need to protest or quit.”
“We are hurting from the loss of our friend and colleague, Halyna Hutchins. She was, in many ways, at the heart of our production, and losing her hert every single one of us. We are hurting from the loss of our togetherness, our spirit, and the loss of our labor. We are hurting for our friends that have been targeted by the public as they themselves grieve. Unfortunately, in the film industry, it is common to work on unprofessional or hectic productions to gain experience and credits. Rust was not one of them. Rust was professional. We do acknowledge that no set is perfect, and like any production, Rust had areas of brilliance and areas that were more challenged. While we stand firmly with our unions and strongly support the fight for better working conditions across our industry, we do not feel that this set was a representation of the kind of conditions our unions are fighting against.”
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The Rust cast and crew again asks for people not to allow the opinions of “a few disgruntled employees” to affect their view of the entire team. It’s added that they’re supporting one another and cooperating with investigators to get to the bottom of what happened. The team also kindly requests that speculation about the accident be sympathetic until an investigation is concluded while thanking those who’ve been supportive in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“The working morale on set was high. Laughter and optimism were common amongst cast and crew. From the director down to the production assistants, all departments worked well together, collaborating and helping each other achieve shared artistic goals. We were aware that we were producing good work; capturing beautiful imagery and great performances, and we were proud to be doing so. The work was hard, but meaningful. We were inspired by the quality of the screenplay and the performances of the cast. Halyna’s work ethic was inspiring and we were working to our highest ability to support her vision.”
Along with Alec Baldwin, the Rust cast and crew names included in the signatures are David Stevens, Bryan Norvelle, Terese Davis, Thomas Gandy, Roman Gandy, Anna Williams, Monica Spendlove, Stacy Lockhart, Katya Luce, Devon Werkheiser, Tim Barrera, Emily Hayes, Jaden Potts, Jiji Hise, Cathy Harrison, Daniel Ornitz, Nicole Montoya, Luke Hussack, Chee Ho, Joe Heise, Emily Price, Matt Hemmer, Imani Caldwell, Isabel Langdale, and Sweet Pea Kadis.
