Speaking out. Matt Hutchins, the husband of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins — who was killed on the set of Rust after a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin went off — is talking openly about the tragedy in his first interview since his wife’s death.
In a Today show interview airing on Thursday, February 24, Matt, sat down with host Hoda Kotb and discussed what it was like for him to watch the actor publicly deny responsibility for Halyna’s death in his December 2021 sit-down with ABC News.
During Baldwin’s emotional discussion with George Stephanopoulos, the 30 Rock star told the host that he “didn’t pull the trigger.” He added: “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
“I just felt so angry,” Matt, who shares 9-year-old son Andros with Halyna, said in a promotional clip released by Today on February 23. “I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her.”
In that December interview, Baldwin, 63, recalled the moment the shooting occurred: “[Halyna’s] guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle. … I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off.”
As Matt relayed to Kotb, “The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me.”
A week earlier, on February 15, Halyna’s surviving family members — Matt and Andros — filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and others who worked in production on the film, Us Weekly confirmed.
“Mr. Baldwin and others were responsible and are responsible for safety on the job site,” lawyer Brian Panish stated in a press conference at the time.
Matt also told Kotb, “Gun safety was not the only problem on that set.” He elaborated, “There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced and there’s multiple responsible parties.”
Panish additionally stated that “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures” on the set of Rust contributed to Halyna’s untimely death.
The Hutchins family’s lawsuit is the latest in a long line of legal trouble for those involved with the film, including a crew member who is suing Baldwin and others for “severe emotional distress,” and a medic who is suing producers over Halyna’s death.
Today has reached out for comment.
