Director Joel Souza has stated that the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the film’s production “ruined” him.
Souza was hurt after a pretend gun used by actor Alec Baldwin went off during a practice in New Mexico on October 21, 2021.
“When I tell someone it ruined me, I don’t mean in the sense that people might generally think,” the director told Vanity Fair, speaking publicly about the tragedy for the first time.
“I’m not saying it ruined my career. I mean, internally, the person I was just vanished. That has stopped.”
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Baldwin has stated that he pulled back the hammer but not the trigger, and the gun shot a live round of ammunition toward team members standing behind the camera. The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest, killing her, and fractured Souza’s scapula.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a prop armourer, was eventually found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by an American trial court and sentenced to 18 months in prison for inserting the live cartridge into the gun.
Dave Halls, assistant director, pled no contest to a misdemeanour charge of negligent use of a weapon and received a six-month suspended sentence.
Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was withdrawn in July after it was discovered that prosecutors had concealed information that could have thrown light on how live bullets ended up on the movie set.
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Following the dismissal of Baldwin’s case, Gutierrez-Reed petitioned a judge to overturn her involuntary manslaughter conviction or schedule a new trial.
Baldwin and the film’s producers continue to face civil litigation from Hutchins’ parents and sister.
When asked if he felt justice was served, Souza replied, “I don’t know what that even means anymore, to be honest with you. No one enjoys seeing someone go to jail.
“I believe it is dishonest and insane to claim that people did not make mistakes. When asked where he laid blame for what transpired, he stated, “I don’t think anyone would ever claim that anything was intentional.”
“The live bullet was loaded into the gun. It was a terrible decision to make, and [Gutierrez-Reed] is now dealing with the consequences. Everything that happened stemmed from that sin, from that moment. That single act set the rest of this into motion.”
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Speaking of Baldwin, Souza stated that they have known each other since 2015.
“Getting through it was tough,” he remarked, alluding to the incident. “We made it through it. I got the performance I wanted. We are not friends. We are not enemies. “There is no relationship.”
When asked whether he thought Baldwin was reckless and should have examined the pistol himself before firing it, Souza replied there were grounds both for and against the actor’s behavior.
“Does it matter if I believe it is fair or not? There is an argument that if he checks it and begins playing with it, he is causing a safety hazard. Then there’s another item that says, “It’s common sense, Jesus Christ.” “Be careful with this goddamn thing,” he warned.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know anymore. The charges were filed. That’s what they chose to do. Was he overcharged? I do not know.”
As for the film itself, Souza stated he went back and finished it out of respect for Hutchins’ memory and to help her family financially, despite the fact that “there was a very long period of time where I thought I was just done ever doing this for a living”.
“I knew that the movie being finished would financially benefit Halyna’s family, which is very important to me,” he told me.
“And, while this may sound banal to those who aren’t creative, her most recent work is important. It’s important for people to view her last work. That was the tipping factor in my decision.”
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