The film Rust, starring Alec Baldwin and Patrick Scott McDermott, was released in 2024, four years after the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on its set. This Western, set in the 1880s, tells the fictional story of Harland Rust, a gun-toting outlaw, and his grandson, who flee after the boy is sentenced to death for accidentally killing a rancher. The film’s completion and release were marked by a poignant tribute to Hutchins, ending with the title card, “For Halyna – what can we do to make this better?” This was a question she frequently asked on set, as shared by director Joel Souza. With this tribute, the movie honors Hutchins not just as a professional but as a person who deeply cared about her work and her colleagues.
Who Was Halyna Hutchins?
Russian-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins became a rising star in Hollywood thanks to her skill and unique style. She was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in 1979 and grew up behind the Iron Curtain. She went to Kyiv National University to study journalism at first. She became a filmmaker because she loved telling stories, and she moved to the United States to pursue her career. Hutchins got his Master of Fine Arts in cinematography from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2015. There was a unique style to her work that captured natural beauty, light, and atmosphere with great accuracy.
Hutchins worked on a number of well-known projects, such as the independent horror film Archenemy (2020), which starred Joe Manganiello and had gritty, intense superhero stories. She also worked on the crime drama Blindfire (2020) and the horror sequel Darlin’ (2019), which was directed by Pollyanna McIntosh. The Mad Hatter (2021) and Treacherous (2020) are some of her other credits, which show how versatile she is across genres. Her work on Rust, which combined her love of Westerns with her skill at making frames that look amazing, was set to be a career-defining moment. People admired Hutchins for how well she worked with others. She often asked, “what can we do to make this better?” This question became her legacy.
The plot of Rust is based on an accidental shooting, which is similar to something that happened in real life while the movie was being made. In the movie, a rifle that has been handed down through generations plays a pivotal role in Lucas’ (Patrick Scott McDermott) tragic life, as it leads him to prison after an unintentional shooting. “It’s ruined the life of almost anyone it’s ever come across,” says the character, a sentiment that resonates with the film’s broader anti-gun message. Souza reflects on the themes of the film, noting, “There’s a real anti-gun aspect to it,” an ironic parallel to the very incident that overshadowed the film’s production.
Souza is still having a hard time with what happened that October day. He keeps thinking about the bad choices that led to the terrible outcome. When he thinks about how serious the situation is, he says, “I wish I never wrote the damn movie.” Even though they feel bad about these things, the movie goes on with a powerful tribute to Hutchins. Her name is second in the credits, which is a big deal for a cinematographer. The movie is also dedicated to her memory, and her name is written in Ukrainian to honor her mother.
How Did Halyna Hutchins Die?
The Incident on October 21, 2021
On October 21, 2021, a tragic accident occurred on the set of Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico. During a rehearsal for a gunfight scene inside a church, Alec Baldwin, playing Harland Rust, was handling a prop revolver meant to contain blank ammunition. The scene involved Baldwin drawing the gun from its holster and pointing it toward the camera, where Hutchins, the cinematographer, and director Joel Souza were positioned behind a monitor. At approximately 1:46 p.m. MT, the gun discharged a single live round, striking Hutchins in the chest and passing through her body to injure Souza in the shoulder.
Hutchins, aged 42, was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Souza was treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe and released the following morning. The incident halted production indefinitely and prompted multiple investigations into how a live round ended up in the firearm.
Events Leading Up to the Shooting
The day of the incident was marked by tension on set. At around 6:30 a.m., seven unionized camera crew members walked off the set, citing unsafe working conditions and unpaid wages. They were replaced by non-union workers, and a producer reportedly threatened to call the police. According to an anonymous source reported by TheWrap, some crew members had taken prop guns, including the one involved in the shooting, off-set during a lunch break to shoot at beer cans with live ammunition. It remains unclear whether the guns were properly checked upon their return.
Later that day, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed retrieved three firearms from a locked safe and placed them on a prop cart: a plastic gun incapable of firing live rounds, a modified gun unable to fire any ammunition—and a Pietta .45 Colt revolver replica. Gutierrez-Reed briefly checked the guns before first assistant director David Halls took the Pietta revolver and handed it to Baldwin. Halls announced “cold gun,” indicating the firearm contained no live rounds. In a later affidavit, Halls admitted he did not fully inspect the cylinder, recalling three rounds visible, which he assumed were blanks. After the shooting, Gutierrez-Reed opened the gun, revealing four blank rounds and one suspected spent live round.
During the rehearsal, B-camera operator Reid Russell, Hutchins, and Souza were positioned two feet from the gun’s muzzle without protective gear. As they adjusted the camera to eliminate a shadow, Baldwin explained his action, saying, “So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it, and go, ‘Bang!’” When he drew the gun, it fired. Baldwin and Halls later claimed the trigger was not pulled, though an FBI report concluded the revolver required a trigger pull to discharge. No footage of the incident was recorded.
Investigations and Legal Consequences
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, and the FBI launched investigations into the shooting. The Sheriff’s Office recovered over 600 pieces of evidence, including 500 rounds of ammunition, a mix of blanks, dummy rounds, and suspected live rounds. A projectile, identified as a live round, was retrieved from Souza’s shoulder.
In April 2022, the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau fined Rust Movie Productions $136,793 for firearms safety failures, noting that Halls had witnessed prior accidental discharges on set but took no corrective action. The fine was later reduced to $100,000. Rust Movie Productions hired Jenner & Block to conduct an internal review, and the investigation focused on how live rounds entered the set.
On January 31, 2023, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon, receiving six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, and 24 hours of community service. Baldwin initially pleaded not guilty, and charges against him were dropped in April 2023 after his lawyers argued the law cited was passed after the incident. Gutierrez-Reed faced an additional charge of tampering with evidence, accused of concealing cocaine after her police interview. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on March 6, 2024, and sentenced to 18 months in prison on April 15, 2024.
Baldwin was re-indicted for involuntary manslaughter on January 19, 2024, and pleaded not guilty. His trial began on July 9, 2024, but was dismissed with prejudice on July 12 due to a Brady disclosure violation. Prosecutors had withheld evidence—a set of bullets potentially related to the case—filed under a different case number, which the defense was not informed about. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the authorities’ “intentional and deliberate” withholding showed “scorching prejudice.” Appeals to revive the case were denied, and the prosecution withdrew its final appeal on December 23, 2024.
Civil Lawsuits
The incident sparked numerous civil lawsuits. Rust gaffer Serge Svetnoy sued for general negligence, followed by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who claimed the script did not require discharging a firearm. Gutierrez-Reed sued armorer Seth Kenney, alleging he supplied live rounds. The Hutchins family filed a wrongful death suit against Baldwin, Halls, Gutierrez-Reed, and others, which was settled in October 2022, with Matt Hutchins, Halyna’s husband, becoming an executive producer on Rust. In February 2023, Hutchins’ parents and sister filed another negligence lawsuit, represented by Gloria Allred, which remains in litigation. Additional lawsuits from crew members and key medic Cheryln Schaefer cited negligence. In June 2024, Hutchins’ family and Mitchell filed a new negligence suit in Santa Fe. Baldwin filed a civil rights lawsuit in January 2025, alleging wrongful prosecution.
Aftermath and Completion of Rust
The tragedy led to widespread discussions about occupational safety in the film industry, the use of real firearms as props, and employee treatment. Production on Rust resumed in 2023, with Joel Souza returning as director despite describing himself as “a wreck” during the process. Matt Hutchins joined as executive producer, and the film was completed to honor Hutchins’ vision. It premiered at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland in November 2024, dedicated to her memory.
Hutchins’ family expressed mixed emotions. Her mother, Olga Solovey, watched the film twice, praising its beauty and her daughter’s talent, saying, “She had a very specific style of cinematography and she saw the world differently.” Hutchins’ sister, Svetlana Zenko, called the film “amazing” and urged audiences to remember Halyna for her work, not the tragedy. However, Solovey criticized Baldwin for refusing to apologize or take responsibility, a sentiment echoed in ongoing litigation.
The Rust cast and crew shared heartfelt reflections on Hutchins and the film’s completion. Director Joel Souza told NPR, “The human cost and the tragedy of it overshadows everything, rightfully so, and is so much more important than any movie.” He hoped audiences could engage with the film as a work of art but acknowledged the difficulty of separating it from the tragedy. Souza’s decision to finish Rust was driven by a desire to complete the work he and Hutchins began, despite the emotional toll.
Josh Hopkins, a star of the film, told Entertainment Weekly, “When we came back, I think that was something we all said to ourselves over and over again, ‘What can we do to make this better?’” He described Hutchins as “a vivacious, visionary artist” and “the heart of everything,” emphasizing the cast’s responsibility to match her passion and energy. Hopkins’ comments reflected the collective grief and determination to honor her legacy.
Alec Baldwin expressed his sorrow on X on October 22, 2021, writing, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.” He pledged cooperation with the investigation and support for Hutchins’ family but faced criticism from her mother for not apologizing directly. Baldwin’s representatives declined to comment on the film’s release or the family’s criticisms.
Hulu Original Documentary Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna Trailer
Legacy and Industry Impact
Halyna Hutchins’ death prompted significant changes in the film industry. The incident highlighted the dangers of using real firearms on set, leading to calls for stricter safety protocols and the use of non-lethal props. The walkout by the Rust camera crew underscored broader issues of overwork, underpayment, and unsafe conditions, fueling discussions about union protections and workplace reforms.
Hutchins’ legacy endures through her work and the inspiration she provided. Her cinematography in Rust was lauded for its vivid colors, meticulous composition, and evocative use of light, as noted by her sister. The film’s dedication, “For Halyna,” ensures her contributions are remembered. However, the tragedy remains a somber reminder of the need for accountability and safety in filmmaking.
The release of Rust in 2024 was both a tribute to Hutchins’ talent and a flashpoint for unresolved grief and legal battles. While her family celebrated her artistic achievements, their pursuit of justice continues through civil litigation. The film stands as a testament to her vision, but its legacy is inseparable from the tragedy that unfolded on set.
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