Ireland Baldwin has again defended her father Alec against the response to the shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The daughter of actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger was discussing mental health with Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith,when she was asked about the impact of the media attention on her father.
“It’s so heartbreaking,” Ireland said in a new interview broadcast today (27 April) as part of Red Table Talk. “My dad is suffering tremendously and I love him and I can’t imagine what he feels like and what’s running through his head but the entire situation is just so devastating.”
Saying that although the situation contributed to her own anxiety, she was “more defensive” of her father. “I was more angry, like at people’s responses... I was in full defence mode.”
Hutchins, the independent film’s director of photography, was killed after a gun held by Baldwin went off on the Rust set at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico in October 2021.
Ireland responded to critics at the time, sharing a positive comment about her father on Instagram with the caption: “Amongst some of the most abhorrent and threatening comments, emails, text messages, and voicemails I’ve been getting... this beautiful comment stands alone. I know my dad, you simply don’t. I love you, Dad.”
On Monday (25 April), Police released new video footage of Alec rehearsing with a gun hours before the fatal shooting.
The footage of the actor shows him drawing a revolver and pointing it at the camera twice during a rehearsal.
While Alec has denied any wrongdoing and liability over the shooting, the family of 42-year-old Hutchins has sued him over the Ukrainian cinematographer’s wrongful death.
Last week, an investigation by New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau concluded that Rust Movie Productions knew safety procedures were not being followed during the filming of the western. Detailing a series of safety failures in violation with standard industry protocols, the state workplace regulator imposed a $139,793 (£107,076) fine on the production company.
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