‘Rust’ Director Admits He Has ‘No Relationship’ With Alec Baldwin

“Rust” director Joel Souza is setting the record straight on his relationship with Alec Baldwin, who was the star of his Western film.

On October 21, 2021, a gun that the “30 Rock” actor was holding on set went off, striking and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Souza, who was standing directly behind Hutchins, was also shot and hospitalized in consequence of the incident.

Still, he was capable of go on to complete filming “Rust” within the spring of 2023 after moving operations from Recent Mexico to Montana. Nonetheless, the fatal shooting seems to have modified his relationship with Alec Baldwin, as he now insists that the 2 have “no relationship.”

While rehearsing a scene at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Recent Mexico, a gun that Alec Baldwin was holding went off. The bullet struck and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and led to Joel Souza’s hospitalization. When speaking in regards to the shooting to Vanity Fair, Souza said “It’s bizarre to have been shot,” adding, “After which, who was holding the gun? That’s bizarre. I had this weird thought, like, ‘God, I remember watching ‘The Hunt for Red October’ within the movie show after I was a child. It’s like your older self whispers to your younger self, ‘Hey, that guy…someday…’”

He also went on to explain how the gunshot “felt like a horse kicked me within the shoulder or someone hit me with a bat.”

“The entire right side of my body went numb, completely numb, however it also hurt excruciatingly at the identical time, if that is sensible,” he continued. “It’s similar to every thing went tingly and numb but hurt like hell abruptly. And I staggered back and was either on my knees or on my ass — and just…yelling. I don’t even know what the hell I used to be yelling.”

Although he survived the shooting, Joel Souza revealed that the bullet “missed my lung by this much. It stopped about that distant from my spine, fortunately. It was bulging out into the skin, so it created a giant bump.” Nonetheless, when interviewer Anthony Breznican said that he should be grateful to be alive, Souza responded, “No, I wasn’t.”

“I remember specifically going to sleep that night and hoping I didn’t get up the following morning,” he explained. “I hoped I might just bleed out overnight because I didn’t wish to be around anymore. It was a really difficult moment. I remember just considering, ‘Perhaps I’ll just form of bleed to death — that may suit me just high quality.’”

The shooting led to first assistant director Dave Halls pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, which resulted in his probation. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter 18 months behind bars in March. In July, Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the prosecution had worked with law enforcement officials to hide evidence.

When asked if he thought “justice was served” for Halyna Hutchins, Souza replied, “I don’t know, and I don’t know what that even is anymore — I’ll be very honest with you about that,” adding, “Nobody feels good about someone going to jail. Should you be ok with that, take a tough look within the mirror.”

The director also made it clear that he doesn’t have an opinion as as to whether or not the prosecution was right to press charges against Alec Baldwin.

“Does it matter if I believe it’s fair or not? There’s an argument that claims, if he checks it and starts fiddling around with it, he’s creating a security issue. After which there’s one other thing that claims, it’s common sense, Jesus Christ. Watch out with this godd-mn thing,” he said. “So I don’t know anymore, to be honest with you. The fees got filed. That’s what they decided to do. Was he overcharged? I don’t know.”

Although he did return to finish the film, Souza admitted that “there was a really long time frame where I assumed I used to be just done ever doing this for a living.” Nonetheless, he made the choice to return to profit Halyna Hutchins’ family.

“I knew that the movie being finished would financially profit Halyna’s family, which could be very essential to me,” he explained. “And I do know this could sound trite for individuals who aren’t creative, but her last work matters. People seeing her last work matters. That was the tipping point for me in the choice.”

Cinematographer Bianca Cline took over for the late Hutchins and the scene contained in the church where she died was cut from the film.

“The whole lot needed to be entirely reconceived there,” Souza said. “There have been a couple of things that got here before that now wouldn’t make story sense. So we just form of eliminated it and got here up with something entirely different.”

“I don’t want anyone who ever does see this to be waiting for that,” he added. “Nobody ever pushed to maintain anything like that.”

After the fatal shooting in Recent Mexico, production moved to Montana within the spring of 2023. When asked about his relationship with Alec Baldwin in Montana, Souza confessed, “Getting through it was tough. We got through it. I got the performance I wanted. We’re not friends. We’re not enemies. There’s no relationship.”

Although the movie has been finished, Souza admits that it has yet to be shopped to distributors contrary to some reports. But when the movie does get released, he hopes that audiences will remember the talent she provided as a substitute of the tragedy that took her life.

“As a cinematographer, Halyna must have been out of my reach if this business made any sense, however it doesn’t,” Souza said. “She must have been doing big studio movies. She must have outgrown a movie the dimensions of ours. She must have been doing $100 million movies, not $7.5 million movies. Anybody who worked together with her knew what she had and what she was.”