Hulu’s Rust documentary showed Alec Baldwin pulling out a gun while filming in the same location where Halyna Hutchins died — but was that the scene that was being filmed moments before she was fatally injured?
Us Weekly can confirm that the footage featured in the Tuesday, March 11, special where Baldwin, 66, swiftly pulled a gun out of his jacket was from a filmed rehearsal just prior to the shooting. Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna relied on public court records, behind-the-scenes material from Rust, interviews with witnesses and key material — including Hutchins’ personal archives to show the audience what led to the shooting.
Fellow director Rachel Mason attempted to highlight the events that led to Hutchins’ death, the subsequent investigation and the decision to finish making Rust after the cinematographer’s passing. The scene Baldwin was filming in a church was discussed at length before new set photos and the brief clip offered an unprecedented glimpse at the deadly incident.
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 following Hutchins’ death on set. The actor was holding the prop gun that was fired on the movie set in October 2021, which killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, but has insisted he’s not responsible for the incident.
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“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin said during an interview with ABC News at the time. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never. I have no idea [how a bullet got in there]. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
Baldwin called the accident the “worst thing” that has ever happened to him. He didn’t take part in Hulu’s doc about the shooting but footage of him before — and after — the incident was featured in Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna.
Baldwin pleaded not guilty, and the charges were dropped in April 2023, but he was indicted again in connection with the death of Hutchins. The second case was ultimately dismissed by the judge and Baldwin has since filed a lawsuit accusing the prosecution team of malicious prosecution and civil rights violations.
“There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now,” Baldwin wrote via Instagram in July 2024. “To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family.”
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Baldwin spoke out about the shooting while filming his TLC reality series. “This has been just surreal,” Alec told his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, during the season 1 premiere, which aired in February. “I can’t even believe that we’re going through this, and I always feel more in pain about you than I do. I think to myself that I’m going to try to my best to just get through it, and I think about what it’s done to you and how much it’s hurt you and everything.”
Alec elaborated in a confessional, saying, “This past year was just terrible. There were times I’d lay in bed. I’d go, ‘Wow, my kids. I can’t get up.’ That’s not like me. I’m not like that at all, not in any way am I like that. Never.”
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her attorneys’ appeal for a new trial was denied in September 2024.
Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna is currently streaming on Hulu.
