RustDirector Who Survived Bullet Wound Says Resuming Filming with 'Fake Guns' Was 'Unnerving' for Alec Baldwin

Mar. 15, 2025

Joel Souza and Alec Baldwin.Photo:WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty; John Lamparski/Getty

WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty; John Lamparski/Getty

RustdirectorJoel Souzais reflecting on the journey his production went through following the accidental on-set death of its cinematographer,Halyna Hutchins.

“I’m sure we had conversations about it. I can’t remember the substance of them,” he said when asked if he and Baldwin, 66, discussed what it would be like for Baldwin to resume portraying a character who wields a gun. “But I have zero doubt that it was an unnerving thing for him to do and a large moment for him.”

Alec Baldwin on the set of ‘Rust’.Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock

When asked if he noticed any change in Baldwin’s approach to his performance in the movie when filming resumed, Souza added, “It was tough for him, you know. I think he was going through all of his own stuff the whole time. I can only imagine how difficult that was. But we got through it.”

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Rust’s premiere in Poland has been met with a certain amount of controversy — Hutchins' motherOlga Soloveyreleased a statement through her attorney Gloria Allred on Nov. 19 stating that she would not attend the movie’s premiere and alleged that Baldwin has never reached out to her family in Ukraine “to take responsibility for her death.” Baldwin did not attend the movie’s premiere in Poland.

Halyna Hutchins on Jan. 19, 2018.Mat Hayward/Getty

Mat Hayward/Getty

“If people don’t want to watch this movie, for any reason, they certainly don’t need to and there’s no hard feelings from me,” Souza toldTHRelsewhere in the interview, adding that he hopes those who do watch the film pay attention to the cinematography work that Hutchins started.

source: people.com