Alec Baldwin published a letter on his account Thursday that said that the Rust cast and crew denied that the movie was unsafe, an allegation made by some of their colleagues who walked off the set prior to the gun death of Halyna Hutchins.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Alec Baldwin attends the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin. The picture was taken for Comedy Central.
Images for Comedy Central.
Baldwin is a star of the film and one of six credited producers, but the letter says that it was not influenced by the producers.
The costume designer who worked on the movie and defended it in Facebook posts was the one who led the creation of the letter.
The letter denied that the production was exploitative and dangerous, and said the allegations are a distraction from commemorating Hutchins and finding alternatives to outdated firearm industry and safety practices.
The letter claims that disgruntled crew members quit before the incident, but the majority remained.
According to Variety, Lane Luper, a camera assistant who walked off the Rust set to protest unfair working conditions, claimed in a recent statement that the producers, including Baldwin, and the production "cut corners and endanger their entire crew by failing to follow industry safety rules."
Several crew members walked off the set of Rust hours before Hucthins was fatally shot by a gun fired by Baldwin, claiming that corners were being cut that led to a lack of safety during production. Baldwin denied that the set was unsafe. The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office is investigating how live rounds ended up on the set. Attorneys for the movie's armorer believe the live rounds were placed on the set as an act of sabotage. The Santa Fe County district attorney said criminal charges are possible.
Alec Baldwin is defending producers against allegations of mistreatment.
Crew members say there was lack of safety on the movie set.
