The husband of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is finally speaking out.
On February 15, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against actor and producer Alec Baldwin. The suit also included the other “Rust” producers, alleging that Baldwin was “reckless” with the handling of a weapon on set.
In October, Hutchins was struck and killed by a live bullet that was inside a “hot gun” that Baldwin was holding for a scene. Baldwin and other crew members have denied any knowledge of how a live bullet ended up on a film set. Director Joel Souza was also injured when he was struck in the shoulder.
Halyna Hutchins Had A Close Bond With Her 9-Year-Old Son
In an interview with Hoda Kotb on the TODAY show on Thursday, her husband, Matthew Hutchins, gave his first on-camera interview since Halyna passed away.
During the interview, Matthew recalled that it was “pretty magical” to meet her and knew right away that she was The One. Even though she had to travel for work, he revealed that she was extremely close with their 9-year-old son, Andros. He recalled that, even though she had to film night shoots, she would always call and speak to her son every night while shooting on the “Rust” film set.
“They would get on a video and she would just do everything that you could as a mom to reassure him,” he recalled in the emotional interview. “Just give him kisses … I think it helped him to get to sleep every night knowing that she was thinking about him.”
Halyna Hutchins’ Husband Recalls Learning About His Wife’s Death
EXCLUSIVE: “My heart sank right away.” -Matt Hutchins, husband of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, on the moment when he had to tell their 9-year-old son that his mother had been killed on the set of the movie “Rust.” https://t.co/tL2uv2M6Ca pic.twitter.com/2AooJw4thT
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 24, 2022
Eventually, the interview touched on the moment Matthew learned that his wife had passed away. He told Kotb that “a member of the production team told me that Halyna had been shot.”
“My heart sank right away,” he recalled. He said it was “completely inexplicable to me that it could have happened at that moment.”
However, he knew that he had to tell his son that his mother had passed away. He decided that he was going to be “very direct and blunt” with the 9-year-old child.
“Well, you know, I think that that kind of news you just have to say multiple times, so that it can be believed,” he said. “And so he believed it, and we cried together then.”
Halyna passed away in October, which meant that the husband and son had to learn how to spend Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, and other holidays and milestones without her there.
“And every holiday, Christmas, New Year’s, our anniversary, my birthday, Valentine’s Day… I mean, every holiday is difficult without her,” he said.
Halyna Hutchins Legacy Will Never Be Forgotten
“The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me.”
Watch @hodakotb’s exclusive interview with Matt Hutchins about his wife Halyna’s tragic death on the set of “Rust” and what’s being done to honor her legacy. pic.twitter.com/Kef0atlki5
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 24, 2022
During an ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos in early December, Baldwin said that everyone on set liked and admired Halyna.
“She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her], and liked by everyone who worked with [her], and admired,” Baldwin said. “I mean, even now… I find it hard to believe that [it happened]. It just doesn’t seem real to me.”
Matthew revealed that the inscription of her tombstone reads: “Her light shapes our lives, keep chasing your vision.”
“So her life shapes our lives, keep chasing your vision,” he explained. “You know, thinking about how her life just permeates our lives and to be inspired and ambitious. And that really embodied her spirit.”
Matthew Hutchins Is Still ‘So Angry’ At Alec Baldwin
In a sneak peek of the interview posted last night, Hutchins said that he was “so angry” with Baldwin after he said that he did not take responsibility for Halyna’s death during the ABC News interview.
“The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me,” Hutchins said.
“Watching him I just felt so angry,” he continued. “I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her.”
He went on to say that gun safety was a problem on the set of “Rust”; however, he indicates that it’s only one of many.
“But gun safety was not the only problem on that set,” Hutchins alleged. “There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced and there’s multiple responsible parties.”
He is also frustrated that no one has been criminally charged for his wife’s death. Juan Rios of the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office has said that “the investigation remains open and ongoing.”
.@TODAYshow EXCLUSIVE: Matt Hutchins, the husband of ‘Rust’ cinematographer killed on set, speaks out.
“We’re pursuing justice every way we can,” he tells @HodaKotb.
Watch more of their interview below.https://t.co/UGFAMyloca
— NBC News PR (@NBCNewsPR) February 24, 2022
