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Alec Baldwin Considers Roping In Celebrity Witnesses To Strengthen Defense In Involuntary Manslaughter Case After Rust Tragedy
The case, following the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has garnered significant attention, with Baldwin pleading not guilty. He is scheduled to appear before the Jury in July.
Alec Baldwin, per TMZ, is considering bringing his celebrity friends to court to testify in his defense when he faces the involuntary manslaughter charge in July this year.
For those not in the loop, Baldwin, the actor-producer of Rust, accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set while rehearsing a scene with a loaded pistol in October 2021. Baldwin has since then pleaded not guilty, saying he was not aware there were live rounds of fire in the weapon that was meant to be used in a scene.
For the same case, and the same charge, a grand Mexico jury convicted the film’s armorer, Hannah Guiterrez-Reed on Wednesday. She faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
As Baldwin with his legal team draws a plan to present a strong case in front of a Mexican jury this summer, below is a list of people from Hollywood who have stood in support of him these past few years.
Mickey Rourke — Actor
Mickey Rourke, 71, came out in Baldwin’s defense after the 64-year-old was first charged with manslaughter in October 2021.
Taking to Instagram to express solidarity with Baldwin, Rourke wrote, “I usually never put my 2 cents in about what happens on someone’s movie set. It's a terrible tragedy what happened to a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But no way in hell actor Alec Baldwin should be charged with any negligence whatsoever.”
He continued, “Most actors don't know anything about guns especially if they didn't grow up around them. Alec didn't bring the gun to the set from his house or his car, when weapons are involved on a movie set, the guns are supposed to be handled only by the weapon armor. In some cases the 1st AD might pass a gun to an actor, but most of the time the gun is handed to the actor directly by the gun armor.”
Completely blaming the on-set weapon supervisor for the misfortune, Rourke rid Baldwin of any accountability for the fatal Rust shooting, saying, “I am sure Alec is already suffering enough over what happened. But to lay a blame on him is terribly wrong.”
He signed off by expressing condolences to Halyna Hutchins and her friends and family.
SAG-AFTRA — The Organization that represents the Actors in Hollywood
In a statement that did not specifically mention Baldwin’s name, SAG-AFTRA said, “The death of Halyna Hutchins is a tragedy, and all the more so because of its preventable nature. It is not a failure of duty or a criminal act on the part of any performer.”
The union added, “The prosecutor's contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed. An actor's job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert.”
Frances Fisher — Actress
Fisher, who played Ruth Dewitt Bukater in Titanic said about the incident involving Baldwin, “Anyone NOT in the industry or who has not worked on a set should STFU — you’re showing your ignorance.”
Grilling the prosecution, Fisher added, “The grandstanding prosecutor doesn't even go after the true culprit: Who put a live round in the gun? There is NO investigation about that. THAT is the question.”
DJ Qualls — Actor
Responding to an X thread that favored Baldwin’s indictment, actor DJ Qualls said, “Not sure about this. I’ve been handed a gun so many times on set and could only trust when they said the rounds weren't live. How would I know? As a producer, maybe he's responsible, but as an actor pulling the trigger, it could have been any of us.”
As mentioned earlier, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge against him. The incident had also left director Joel Souza injured at the time.
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