‘Rust’ Cinematographer’s Mother Slams Alec Baldwin for ‘Refusal to Apologize’
The mother of Halyna Hutchins, Olga Solovey, denounced actor Alec Baldwin ahead of the Rust premiere. Solovey said the actor refused to apologize for the accidental shooting death of her daughter and accused him of seeking to “unjustly profit” from the tragedy.
“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” Solovey said in a statement on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter. Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”
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A rep for Alec Baldwin did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s requests for comment.
The Western film is set to premiere at the Camerimage Festival in Poland on Wednesday, more than four months since a judge dismissed Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial. The actor had been accused of recklessly pointing a replica revolver at Hutchins, a cinematographer on the set, and pulling the trigger on Oct. 21, 2021. He has long maintained he did not pull the trigger.
The annual cinematography festival will also hold a panel discussion with Rust director Joel Souza, cinematographer Bianca Cline, and Stephen Lighthill, Hutchins’ mentor from her film school, AFI. According to the festival, the panel will focus on “the events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Hutchins’ death” and “maintaining Hutchins’ artistic vision.”
In a separate statement, Solovey’s attorney Gloria Allred also lambasted Baldwin’s “decision not to even call the family to say he is sorry,” saying it is “cruel and dishonors Halyna and her memory.”
“Even though Mr. Baldwin discharged the gun that killed Halyna, he has never called them to apologize,” she added. “Even worse, he argued, through his attorneys, that Halyna was emotionally distant from her family in Ukraine.”
Allred added, “Now, a decision has been made to promote Rust to buyers in order to make a profit for Alec Baldwin and others that had a role in Halyna’s death.” The lawyer said that Halyna’s mother, her father Anatolii Androsovych, and her sister Svetlana Zemko “will not agree with this plan to exploit Halyna’s death.”
“Gloria Allred’s misrepresentation of both the Camerimage festival and any profit motivation is disappointing. The decision to complete Rust was made with the full support of Halyna’s family,” Melina Spadone, a representative for Rust Movie Productions, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Camerimage festival celebrates the artistry of cinematographers; it is not a festival for buyers,” Spadone continued. “None of the producers of Rust stand to benefit financially from the film. The suggestion that those involved in completing Halyna Hutchins’ film were motivated by profit is disrespectful to those who worked tirelessly to honor her legacy.”
In a statement sent to Rolling Stone on Tuesday, Allred said that Baldwin “e-filed a motion to stay (pause) our civil lawsuit against him and others” on the “eve of the premiere of Rust.” The attorney added, “We will be opposing their motion to stay our case.” Attorneys John C. Carpenter and Carlos A. Hernandez of Carpenter and Zuckerman are serving as co-counsel on the case.
This article was updated on Nov. 19 at 11:50 p.m. ET to include a statement from attorney Gloria Allred. It was also updated on Nov. 20 at 2:14 p.m. ET to include a statement from a rep for Rust Movie Productions, and on Dec. 5 at 11:52 p.m. ET to add additional information from co-counsel involved in the lawsuit.
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