Mickey Rourke says there’s ‘no way in hell’ Alec Baldwin should be charged over Rust shooting death
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Mickey Rourke has spoken out in defence of Alec Baldwin, saying there is “no way in hell” he should face charges over the death of Halyna Hutchins.
On Thursday (19 January), Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Hutchins, a cinematographer, on the set of the Western movie Rust in October 2021.
The 64-year-old actor is one of three people facing charges over the accidental shooting, alongide first assistant director David Halls and armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
Halls has agreed to plead guilty to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Each charge carries a punishment of up to 18 months in prison. In a statement to The Independent Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas described the charges as a “terrible miscarriage of justice”.
Responding to the news on Instagram, Rourke wrote: “I usually never put my two cents in about what happens on someone’s movie set. It’s a terrible tragedy what happened to a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But no way in hell actor Alec Baldwin should be charged with any negligence whatsoever.
“Most actors don’t know anything about guns especially if they didn’t grow up around them. Alec didn’t bring the gun to the set from his house or his car. When weapons are involved on a movie set, the guns are supposed to he handled only by the ‘weapon armor’. In some cases the 1st AD might pass a gun to an actor, but most of the time the gun is handed to the actor directly by the ‘gun armor’.”
Rourke went on to state that the armourer’s job on set was to make sure there was “an expert around any type of dangerous weapon”.
“The actor then has an option of dry firing the gun him or himself to double check,” he continued. “No way in hell should Alec Baldwin be blamed for this unfortunate tragedy.
“Why the powers to be [are] charging Baldwin with this responsibility is terribly wrong. I am sure Alec is already suffering enough over what happened. But to lay a blame on him is terribly terribly wrong.”
The Wrestler star finished his post by extending his “deepest condolences to Halyna Hutchins, to her family and her friends”.
Baldwin also served as a producer on Rust.
In a statement announcing the charges, New Mexico first judicial district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said: “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Baldwin’s lawyers told The Independent: “This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.
“Mr Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
