An arm of Hollywood has weighed in on one of the biggest ongoing news stories in the industry in recent years. Six days after new charges were filed and Alec Baldwin was hit with an indictment for the Rust shooting, SAG-AFTRA has weighed in on the matter in a new statement. The latest charge is for involuntary manslaughter. No court date has been set.
The incident occurred in 2021 during the production of the film at a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. A gun handled by the actor went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while she was setting up. Charges were initially brought to the actor and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, then reduced before getting dropped entirely. Then, everything got backed up after further investigation into the star. The armorer is due in court on February 21.
SAG-AFTRA Defends Alec Baldwin Following Rust Indictment
The argument made by SAG-AFTRA in defense of Alec Baldwin weighed heavily on the “duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use” is not on an actor. The prosecutors have been putting the responsibility on the actor, but the union wrote that this is “an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set.”
Many guidelines are laid out for the use of guns on a film set. Some productions may sway in terms of how they obtain props, like using real firearms or fake guns to limit the risk. For real guns, the guidelines are “clearly laid out in Safety Bulletin 1, provided by the Joint Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Commission.” It requires “an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set.”
An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.
SAG-AFTRA statement on the indictment of Alec Baldwin
When the news initially broke in 2021, it shook the film industry as filmmakers and actors weighed in on the use of firearms on set. While some stick to using them, Dwayne Johnson pledged not to replace all guns in his future projects. Depending on the outcome of this case, more could follow in the former wrestler’s footsteps.
Eighteen months of jail time are currently on the table for the actor. While the SAG-AFTRA statement will not sway prosecutors, it does shed light on the inner workings and what responsibilities actors like Alec Baldwin have or don’t have on set.
You can read the full statement here.
