Director Ava DuVernay Says The 'Rust' Death Could Have Been Prevented

"Rust" is a possibly-defunct movie written by Joel Souza, who also directed the film. The movie stars Alec Baldwin in the lead role, Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, Brandy Noon, and Jensen Ackles.

Its production was first announced in May 2021 but was however suspended indefinitely in October. The suspension came after a tragic shooting incident took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when a real gun which was used as a prop, was fired by Baldwin.

Investigations are currently ongoing into the unfortunate killing of Hutchins on the "Rust" film set, and the incident has left many wondering how such an unusual accident could have occurred in the first place.

Someone who felt similarly was fellow director Ava DuVernay, who insisted that Hutchins' death was avoidable. She also questioned the choice of real guns as props on a movie set. Keep scrolling to find out more about what she had to say.

In an interview with The Breakfast Club, the award-winning director opened up on how she felt about the incident. She started by saying that fake guns should've been used instead of actual guns as props on the set. "There are fake guns that look like real guns," she said.

"It does not have a real chamber or any mechanism in it. You can have a gun that looks like a gun on the outside and it has no mechanism on the inside. Not even for a blank. There's no reason to do it." She continued, highlighting that the use of real guns was unnecessary.

With a personal experience in using both gun options as movie props, DuVernay blamed the crew for failing to put good safety measures in place. "This woman, literally shot in the stomach, in a rehearsal, for people who fail to do the job that keeps each other safe," she explained, while almost in tears.

She reiterated that the incident was entirely preventable if they had followed the proper protocol or had used a fake gun from the start. "People were wrong and unprofessional; that should have never happened," she said, highlighting the crew members' ignorance.

DuVernay explained to the hosts of The Breakfast Club that production members are given a choice to use either real guns or not. She reflected on the moment she knew she wouldn't choose real guns.

"We haven't had live guns on our sets," she mentioned. "The last time we had a real gun on the set was Selma. That was a set that I didn't control." "It was safe," she explained, "everything was done according to code."

She noted that her decision was influenced by learning that she would somehow be responsible for ensuring the gun was safe to use as a prop. Being unfamiliar with guns, such a risk made her uncomfortable.

"They bring it over to me to look at and I remember looking at it going, 'I don't even know what I'm looking at'…I had to depend on other people to tell me, 'Ava, it's safe.' I said never again", she said, explaining why she would rather use fake guns.

Like many others, DuVernay believes that the film industry will forever be affected by the unfortunate incident. She also noted that in over 20 years, there hadn't been such an incident that involved an actual gun going off on set.

She explained that the film industry tries its best to assure the safest possible environment. "One of the safest places to be in the world is a film set. Whether it's for COVID, whether it's for anything going on." She expressed.

DuVernay also equated a movie set to a small town in explaining that on a movie set, every single person is working, and all hands have to be on deck to ensure a safe and proper production process.

While DuVernay is seemingly passionate about her career, she hasn't always been in the directing field. The "Queen Sugar" director worked a different job for over a decade before becoming renowned in the film industry.

Being a well-known filmmaker and director with about 14 years of experience, DuVernay started her career as a public relations (PR) executive, where she worked for 12 years as a junior publicist.

After working with Savoy Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and other agencies, she decided to start her PR agency, which she credited her father for in an interview with Variety in August 2019.

She expressed that she figured out the true nature of the business after a conversation she had with her father and explained that it inspired her to start her agency and do things her way.

She recalled the conversation and said, "My father said, "How many retainers have you brought into the agency?" And when I replied he said, "How much do you make?" And I told him." And that was when she realized that it didn't add up.

Many fans are thankful she did because today, we have her to thank for some of the most amazing movies and shows.