'Rust' shooting: Alec Baldwin shares letter from crew defending production
Alec Baldwin posted an open letter from 25 Rust crew members who defended working conditions on set of the low-budget Western. The message "has not been sanctioned or influenced in any way by the producers," it begins. Baldwin, who stars in Rust, is also a producer on the film, although he downplayed that title during last week's interview with ABC News.
"We, the undersigned, believe the public narrative surrounding our workplace tragedy to be inadequate and wish to express a more accurate account of our experience," the group says, noting how everyone is "hurting from the loss of our friend and colleague, Halyna Hutchins."
Hutchins was killed when a gun Baldwin was holding discharged. The actor stated he "didn't pull the trigger" in his sit-down with George Stephanopoulos. Many in the industry have been left wondering how such an accident could occur. Some crew members on Rust say they walked off set over safety concerns just hours before the tragedy; however, Thursday's letter hits back at that narrative.
"Unfortunately, in the film industry, it is common to work on unprofessional or hectic productions to gain experience and credits. Many of us have worked on those types of productions. Rust was not one of them. Rust was professional. We do acknowledge that no set is perfect, and like any production, Rust had areas of brilliance and areas that were more challenging. While we stand firmly with our unions and strongly support the fight for better working conditions across our industry, we do not feel that this set was a representation of the kind of conditions our unions are fighting against," the letter reads.
"The descriptions of Rust as a chaotic, dangerous, and exploitative workplace are false and distract from what matters most: the memory of Halyna Hutchins, and the need to find modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices," it continues.
The group acknowledges some crew members quit before the accident, but that the majority "were enjoying our workplace. Those disgruntled few do not represent the views of all of us." The letter goes on to defend working hours, wages, housing and transportation.
"The working morale on set was high. Laughter and optimism were common amongst the cast and crew," they write, noting "the work was hard, but meaningful."
"Halyna's work ethic was inspiring and we were working to our highest ability to support her vision. The days were scheduled tightly, but appropriately," the letter continues. "We were keeping pace, not falling behind schedule."
The group says "the producers and production managers were supportive of our efforts," noting how they were "engaged with the crew... They availed themselves during safety meetings to discuss any and all safety or other concerns."
The 25 crew members who signed the letter are from the production's accounting, assistant directors, casting, camera, art, props, special effects, electrics, grips, costumes, hair, makeup, sound, locations, medics, animal wranglers, health and safety, transportation, craft services, catering, stunts, construction and production departments.
"In the meantime, we are supporting each other and cooperating with investigators. We kindly request that your speculation and generalizations about us and our colleagues be sympathetic until an investigation is concluded," they add.
Among the people who signed the letter is Rust costume designer Terese Magpale Davis. Baldwin previously posted a message Davis shared on Facebook defending the production, but used slightly more colorful language calling the crew members who walked off set "jerks" and "not heroes."
Baldwin's post comes one week after his interview with ABC News aired. The actor, who's been named in two lawsuits already, has been criticized by some experts for the way he's handled the tragedy. This latest post might not help his case in the court of public opinion, judging from his comments section.
WATCH: Alec Baldwin deletes his Twitter account after tell-all ABC interview about Rust shooting:
