Amid ‘Rust’ tragedy, Brandon Lee’s sister calls for mandatory gun safety training on movie sets
Shannon Lee, the sister of “The Crow” actor Brandon Lee, who was killed by a revolver being used as a prop when filming the 1993 movie, is rallying for increased gun safety measures on movie sets.
During this week’s Los Angeles’ Asian World Film Festival, Lee spoke about what she feels Hollywood needs to do after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed last month on the “Rust” movie set when Alec Baldwin fired a gun that was apparently loaded with live ammunition.
“I think that mandatory gun safety training [should be required] for the actor so that they can check the guns themselves and know how to use them appropriately and so that they can keep others safe,” she told AFP.
The daughter of late martial arts icon Bruce Lee was at the ceremony to present an honor in her father’s name.
She believes gun safety should extend beyond the movie’s crew and involve the cast, as well.
“It shouldn’t happen again,” said the 52-year-old actress and producer, who called the current standards “frustrating” and believes protocols should have changed when her 28-year-old brother was killed nearly three decades ago.
Fellow actor Michael Massee accidentally shot Brandon Lee when filming “The Crow” on March 31, 1993, after firing the revolver he thought was loaded with blanks.
On Oct. 21, Baldwin reportedly believed he had been handed an unloaded gun, before killing Hutchins and wounding “Rust” director Joel Souza.
The “Glengarry Glen Ross” star repeatedly said “What the f— just happened?” after a shot was fired.
The 42-year-old Hutchins was reportedly helped to the ground by others after she was shot, with a boom operator telling her, “Oh, that was no good.” She responded: “No. That was no good. That was no good at all,” according to the Los Angles Times.
Lee said she never spoke to Massee, who played the character of Funboy in “The Crow,” but said she did feel sorry for him. The actor died in 2016 at age 64 after suffering stomach cancer.
“I felt really sorry, because it is a horrible thing to cause someone else to die. And I also feel sorry for Alec Baldwin,” she remarked. “It’s really tough what he’s going through, he has to take care of himself.”
In a guest column published Wednesday in Variety, Lee wrote how she was “finally in a sound enough mental and emotional space” to raise her voice.
“Hollywood, I know you know that guns that fire blanks on sets also unnerve and injure people. They create a lot of tension and anxiety for all involved,” she challenged. “I’ve talked to some who are relieved now that their production is moving away from real firearms and blanks.”
Lee continued: “Innovating away from real firearms could be seen as a level of care for the basic stress and mental health levels of cast and crew. And the technology exists. And if it doesn’t exist to your standards, then I encourage you to innovate even further. What new movie magic could you create if you put your mind to it?”
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