Alec Baldwin shooting: The tragic death of Halyna Hutchins must force Hollywood to change for the safer
Lucy Nicholson
What happened on the set of 'Rust' was nothing short of tragic. A terrible, terrible accident that left one filmmaker dead and another injured.
Following the incident, it has been reported that Alec Baldwin is considering his future in the public eye. But what should also be emphasised is that this tragedy represents a ground-breaking moment for the industry.
There are plenty of debates around the '#MeToo' and 'Times Up' movements. Questions have been asked about how far such movements have gone and how much of their impact leads to more unnecessary witch hunts.
However, these movements have been conversation starters, with the potential to bring about change in the industry. The tragedy on the set of 'Rust' needs to be viewed in the exact same way -once again Hollywood needs to change.
The reports coming out of Los Angeles have been disturbing. One unidentified crew member from the 'Rust' set spoke to the Los Angeles Times, calling for a conduct investigation, alleging there were previous accidental gun-discharges. On top of this, it has been alleged there were no safety meetings.
According to the BBC, a crew member who worked with the assistant director Dave Halls - who reportedly handed the gun to Alec Baldwin - had raised safety concerns about him back in 2019.
The Daily Star also reported crew members even staged a walk out hours before the fatal incident over safety concerns. Moreover, there have been reports that the production was being rushed to meet a deadline.
There has also been a lot of information circulating about the 24 year-old armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
According to a police warrant, obtained by the Associated Press, the prop gun fired by Alec Baldwin was one of three pistols left on a surface by Ms Gutierrez-Reed.
It’s then been reported the assistant Director Dave Halls gave the gun to Alec to use.
At present, these are just reports, however the fact remains that the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins is utterly unacceptable.
It’s time for Hollywood to once again be held accountable for it’s failures.