SAG-AFTRA Defends Alec Baldwin: ‘An Actor’s Job Is Not to Be a Firearms Expert’
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA issued a statement Thursday defending Alec Baldwin after the actor was indicted last week for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The union argued that Baldwin was not responsible for firearms safety, and that if the prosecution rests on such a responsibility, “that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set.” “An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” the union said. “Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use.
The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect.” Baldwin was holding a gun during preparation for a scene when it fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has said that he did not pull the trigger, though the prosecution’s forensic experts concluded that the gun could only have been fired if the trigger was pulled.
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