Rust director Joul Souza has opened up about the fatal shooting that took place while on set for the film, what it was like in the moment, and his relationship with actor Alec Baldwin.
Speaking to Vanity Fair for the first time since the 2021 incident, Souza opened up about the moment when Alec Baldwin fired a live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and also seriously injured Souza, who was hit in the shoulder.
“It’s bizarre to have been shot,” Souza said. “And then, who was holding the gun? That’s bizarre. I had this weird thought, like, ‘God, I remember watching The Hunt for Red October in the movie theater when I was a kid. It’s like your older self whispers to your younger self, ‘Hey, that guy . . . someday.'”
“The whole right side of my body went numb, completely numb, but it also hurt excruciatingly at the same time, if that makes sense,” Souza said. “It’s just like everything went tingly and numb but hurt like hell all at once. 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 was yelling.”
Following years of litigation, the legal cases surrounding the incident have been settled. First assistant director Dave Halls agreed to a plea bargain for a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison, and Baldwin’s case of involuntary manslaughter was dismissed.
Souza details the moments and days after the incident
Souza also revealed that the shot fired missed his lung and left him wishing that he didn’t live through it in the days after the incident.
“I remember specifically going to sleep that night and hoping I didn’t wake up the next morning,” said Souza. “I hoped I would just bleed out overnight because I didn’t want to be around anymore. It was a very difficult moment. I remember just thinking, Maybe I’ll just sort of bleed to death — that would suit me just fine.”
As far as his relationship with Baldwin goes, Souza says that the pair aren’t friends but aren’t exactly enemies either. “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,” said Souza.
He also said that the team behind the film decided to get together and finish the project for Hutchins in a way, as the money earned from it would help her family.
“I knew that the movie being finished would financially benefit Halyna’s family, which is very important to me,” Souza said. “And I know this can sound trite for people who aren’t creative, but her last work matters. People seeing her last work matters. That was the tipping point for me in the decision.”
(Source: Vanity Fair)
