Following last week’s interview with ABC News where he denied pulling the trigger of the gun that fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust in New Mexico, Alec Baldwin has now posted an open letter from the film’s crew that pushes back against the narrative that the production was unsafe. Baldwin shared the letter signed by 25 members on his Instagram account on Thursday morning and provided no commentary of his own.
Here’s the key excerpt where the signees dispute reports that the set was “chaotic” and unsafe, leading to Hutchins’ death. Via Instagram:
Unfortunately, in the film industry, it is common to work on unprofessional or hectic productions to gain experience and credits. Many of us have worked on those types of productions. Rust was not one of them. Rust was professional. We do acknowledge that no set is perfect, and like any production, Rust had areas of brilliance and areas that were more challenging. While we stand firmly with our unions and strongly support the fight for better working conditions across our industry, we do not feel that this set was a representation of the kind of conditions our unions are fighting against. We do support any and all efforts to make film sets safer to work on for all cast, crew and working animals.
The descriptions of Rust as a chaotic, dangerous and exploitative workplace are false and distract from what matters the most: the memory of Halyna Hutchins, and the need to find modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices.
The signees also described the morale on set as “high” and write that “laughter and optimism were common amongst cast and crew.” You can read the full letter via Baldwin’s Instagram below: