Following the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ which claimed the life of Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins, 25 cast and crew members have penned a letter saying the set was “professional.”
In a statement also shared by Alec Baldwin on his Instagram account on Thursday, the cast and crew detailed the working conditions during their time on the set of ‘Rust’. They prefaced the letter by saying it was not written on the behalf of the film’s producers.
“This letter is written on behalf of the cast and crew of the film production, Rust. It has not been sanctioned or influenced in any way by the producers.”
According to the cast and crew, the purpose of the letter is to provide a more accurate representation of what actually went on during the production of ‘Rust’ prior to the accident. The letter claims that the current public narrative surrounding the workplace conditions – which have previously been described as “chaotic, dangerous, and exploitative” is grossly inaccurate.
“We, the undersigned, believe the public narrative surrounding our workplace tragedy to be inadequate and wish to express a more accurate account of our experience,” the statement said.
“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.”
The letter acknowledges that some crew members did indeed quit shortly before the shooting incident. It states, however, that “the vast majority of the crew remained” and were content with the working conditions, which reportedly provided fair treatment regarding working hours, transportation, housing, and safety, adding that “the working morale on set was high.”
“Laughter and optimism were common amongst cast and crew,” claims the statement, specifying that “From the director down to the production assistants, all departments worked well together, collaborating and helping each other achieve shared artistic goals.”
Regarding the producers working on set, one of whom was Alec Baldwin himself, the letter claims that they were supportive of the cast and crew and “availed themselves during safety meetings to discuss any and all safety or other concerns.”
The letter concludes by asking the readers to be sympathetic towards the cast and crew of ‘Rust’ until the investigation into the accident is concluded.
While the letter seems to be in direct contrast to what many disgruntled employees of the production have described so far, it’s important to mention that the letter does not once reference Baldwin by name. Nor does it mention Assistant Director David Halls, who handed him the gun, or Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
All the accused have so far effectively denied any blame in the incident, with Baldwin stating in an interview that he “didn’t pull the trigger” and “would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”