Alec Baldwin Couldn't 'Give a S—' If His Career Is Over After 'Rust' Shooting

12/03/2021 09:08 am EST

Alec Baldwin "couldn't give a s—" if his 40-year acting career is over after the tragic shooting incident on the set of his film Rust that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin spoke at length for the first time about the Oct. 21 shooting to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos Wednesday, claiming he didn't pull the trigger on the gun that fired at Hutchins and Souza.

Baldwin continued that he believed the gun to be safe, but didn't pull the trigger regardless, as the script didn't call for that. "Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger," Baldwin said. "So you never pulled the trigger?" Stephanopoulos questioned later. "No, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never," Baldwin responded, saying he "let go of the hammer" on the weapon and the gun went off.

Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, said the only question to be resolved was from where did the live round come. "A live round isn't supposed to be anywhere near the set," the actor said. "I don't have anything to hide." While other actors including George Clooney have come out in the days since the tragedy to comment they personally checked guns they used on set, Baldwin said their commentary "really didn't help the situation at all." He continued, "If your protocol is you checking the gun every time, well, good for you. Good for you. My protocol was to trust the person that had the job."

Baldwin explicitly denied fault in the shooting, saying he would have killed himself if he believed it was his responsibility. "I feel someone is responsible for what happened, but I know it isn't me. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly," he said.

Meeting Hutchins' husband, Matthew Hutchins, and her son, Andros, was a difficult moment for everyone. "I didn't know what to say," Baldwin said. "He hugged me and he goes, 'I suppose we're going to go through this together.'" The actor continued, "I think to myself, this little boy doesn't have a mother anymore ... and there's nothing we can do to bring her back. I told him, 'I don't know what to say, I don't know how to convey to you how sorry I am.'"

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