Despite his trial being dismissed with prejudice in July 2024, New York-born actor Alec Baldwin, 66, is still dealing with the aftermath of killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring filmmaker Joel Souza on the set of “Rust” in Oct. 2021.
Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, is speaking out about her daughter’s death in response to a screening of “Rust” in Poland on Nov. 20.
Hutchins lost her life at the age of 42 when a prop gun loaded with live ammunition Baldwin was holding discharged during filming. The fatal shooting took place at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The “Rust” movie is set to premiere at Poland’s Camerimage International Film Festival. In addition to starring in “Rust,” Baldwin also served as a producer on the Western film.
Solovey provided The Hollywood Reporter with a statement about why she refused to attend the event.
“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” Solovey said. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.”
She added, “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.”
The Ukrainian woman accused Baldwin of trying to “unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”
“They haven’t seen justice for their daughter. Denied even a court case. That’s gotta be infuriating,” one person wrote on X. In contrast, a Baldwin defender tweeted, “Time to move on… accidents happen. RIP Halyna.”
Commenters on the Daily Mail’s article about Halyna’s mother slamming Baldwin weighed in as well. For instance, someone wrote, “They should not have made this film. Poor lady. RIP to her and condolences to her family.”
A like-minded commenter posted, “No shame. Project should have been scrapped.” Others suggested boycotting “Rust.” A comment read, “Definitely won’t watch out of respect and I think a lot of people will think the same.”
In contrast, there was also support for the release of The Avenue-distributed movie. A fan argued, “It’s a film. There was a tragedy. Many famous films have deaths associated with them.”
Initial involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin filed in January 2023 were dropped before a New Mexico grand jury indicted the Emmy Award winner on an involuntary manslaughter charge in January 2024.
Baldwin’s criminal trial was dismissed because the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office improperly inventoried ammunition from the case. A judge ruled the former “30 Rock” cast member could not receive a fair trial since the defense team did not have access to the evidence.
“As prosecutors, we have obligations to disclose all the evidence. When I learned this morning of the existence of the evidence that had not been disclosed, I believed that the right decision was to dismiss the case,” special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson told TMZ in July 2024.
In Feb. 2022, the U.S.-based Hutchins family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, the “Rust’ production, and other defendants. A settlement was reached in October 2022 which featured Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, receiving an executive producer credit for the film.
“All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work,” Matthew said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In reaction to the legal agreement, Baldwin‘s attorney, Luke Nikas, stated, “Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”
There appears to be a divide about the “Rust” shooting incident among members of Halyna’s American and Ukrainian families. Attorney Gloria Allred represents the late cinematographer’s mother, father, and sister who live in Ukraine.
Allred told The Hollywood Reporter, “The decision not to even call the family to say he is sorry is cruel and dishonors Halyna and her memory. Now, a decision has been made to promote ‘Rust’ to buyers in order to make a profit for Alec Baldwin and others that had a role in Halyna’s death.”
The Camerimage International Film Festival focuses on the art of cinematography. The demand to see “Rust” at the event was so high that the festival’s website reportedly crashed on Nov. 19 when tickets for the premiere became available for sale.
A message on the site read, “The Camerimage portal is currently undergoing system maintenance.” Director Souza and new cinematographer Bianca Cline were listed as speakers for a post-screening panel.
