Alec Baldwin spoke out publicly for the first time on Saturday after the deadly shooting on the New Mexico set of his indie film “Rust,” Fox News has reported.
Baldwin, 63, spoke to photographers in Vermont where he said he is cooperating with police and has been speaking to them every day since he fired a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 23. Baldwin maintained that he could not speak on the active investigation.
“It’s an active investigation in terms of a woman died — she was my friend,” Baldwin said. “We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together, and then this horrible event happened.”
According to the report, Baldwin called the shooting a “one-in-a-trillion event…there are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this.”
Baldwin added, “But remember, how many bullets have been fired in films and TV shows in the last 75 years. This is America,” Baldwin said. “How many bullets have gone off in movies and on TV sets before? How many, billions in the last 75 years? And nearly all of it without incident.”
The actor also called for a reconsideration of the use of firearms on sets. “So what has to happen now is, we have to realize that when it does go wrong and it’s this horrible, catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place,” he said. “Rubber guns, plastic guns, no live — no real armaments on set. That’s not for me to decide. It’s urgent that you understand 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 favor of and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can.”
Baldwin also said he was “extremely interested” in limiting the use if firearms on sets following the accidental shooting.
New Mexico authorities are still investigating the deadly accident, which also resulted in the injury of director Joel Souza. Prodcuers have halted production on the film for “an undetermined period of time” following the incident, which happened on the 12th day of what was expected to be a 21-day shoot.
