When Alec Baldwin first rose to fame, he was such a good-looking young man that it seemed very likely that he would always be cast as characters that fit the classic leading man type. However, during Baldwin’s lengthy career, he has proven time and time again that he is capable of portraying a wide array of different character types. After all, it would have been hard to imagine Baldwin portraying a character like 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy when he was known for movies like The Hunt for Red October and Glengarry Glen Ross.
Related: '30 Rock' Star Dean Winters Is In Pain After Two Amputations: Here's What We Know
Even though Alec Baldwin has been a chameleon onscreen, he has never been able to change his spots when it comes to his penchant for controversies. After getting himself embroiled in drama several times over the years, Baldwin was involved in the most controversial moment in his life by far during the filming of Rust. After all, a weapon that he was holding went off and a life was lost. In the months since that tragedy, Baldwin's conduct has been scrutinized but observers have been left wondering how the people close to him feel. For example, what has Baldwin’s ex-wife Kim Basinger said about the Rust incident?
The Tragedy That Took Place On The Set Of Rust
When moviegoers head to movie theaters to see the latest release with action scenes or weapons, they expect to see characters in serious peril. Despite the action that takes place onscreen, everyone involved in the production of those films should be able to rest assured that they are safe. Unfortunately, when safety protocols aren’t followed to perfection, that can result in tragedy as it did during the production of a canceled film named Rust.
Related: Bands And Musicians Who Have Stopped Concerts For Their Fans' Safety
Throughout Hollywood history, there have been far too many examples of on-set tragedies that led to the loss of life. For that reason, movie producers and directors should do absolutely everything in their power to ensure the safety of everyone on set. Sadly, however, some people don’t take safety protocols seriously enough in life and they put themselves and the people around them in danger at times.
If there is one thing that most major companies want to avoid these days, it is lawsuits. As a result, when the major studios produce a film, there are loads of safety protocols in place. Even though smaller budget films need to cut corners to save money, anything that relates to the safety of the people involved should be of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, however, some of the people involved in the making of the canceled movie Rust clearly didn’t prioritize safety enough. After all, several people walked off the film’s set due to safety concerns. Tragically, those people turned out to be right as mere days later, someone lost their life on the set of Rust.
On October 21st, 2021, actor Alec Baldwin was filming a scene for Rust that called for him to fire a weapon. According to Baldwin, the movie’s cinematographer instructed him to point the weapon in her direction and fire since there shouldn’t have been any live ammunition in it. Tragically, the weapon had a bullet inside and even though Baldwin claims that he never pulled the trigger, it went off.
Related: Halyna Hutchins, Brandon Lee, And Other Tragic On-Set Accidents
When the weapon that Alec Baldwin was holding went off, a bullet was fired into cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and it passed through her and hit director Joel Souza. While Souza survived with a shoulder injury, Hutchins succumbed to her injuries and passed away.
After the world learned about how Halyna Hutchins passed away, virtually everyone was outraged. Since Alec Baldwin produced Rust and he was the one holding the weapon when it went off, most of the outrage was directed at him. Since then, Baldwin has talked about the incident several times and even said he has no guilt. On top of that, it has been clear that Baldwin’s wife Hilaria is standing by her side.
Kim Basinger Has Remained Silent About The Rust Incident
More than three decades ago, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger were hired to co-star in a mostly forgotten film called The Marrying Man. After hitting it off during the film’s production, Baldwin and Basinger became a couple and they married three years later. After the birth of their daughter Ireland, Baldwin and Basinger separated and went through a highly contentious divorce.
In the years since his divorce, Alec Baldwin has been gotten himself embroiled in controversy many times. For example, Baldwin infamously left an extremely angry voicemail for his daughter Ireland that was leaked to the press. Given the fact that Ireland was Kim Basinger’s daughter too, a lot of people wanted to hear her opinion on the voicemail. Even though Baldwin and Basinger were going through a contentious divorce at the time, she didn’t go to the press to actively disparage him the way some stars in her position might have.
Given the way Kim Basinger didn’t seek out the press after the voicemail incident, members of the media should have known she wouldn’t go to them following the Rust incident. Despite that, some members of the paparazzi followed Basinger around hoping for a comment. In fact, the paparazzi even waited outside of Basinger’s gym so they could take photos of her following the incident and when she didn’t talk, they judged the expression on Kim’s face. Despite the ridiculous headlines that accompanied those photos, Basinger hasn’t said anything publicly about the Rust incident to date.
Next: Alec Baldwin Squashes Allegations Of Him Being Uncooperative During Shooting Investigation
