Alec Baldwin, 65, Struggles To Mount A Horse On 'Rust' Set

Actor Alec Baldwin seems to be a little bit "rusty" as the Western film “Rust”  resumes production in Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana.

Production on the film was paused in October 2021 after a gun that the "30 Rock" actor misfired, striking and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Although charges against Baldwin have since been dropped, her family is still seeking justice in a civil suit filed by her parents and sister.

Even though director Joel Souza was also injured in the on-set shooting, he has returned to direct Baldwin and finish filming "Rust" along with most of the original cast and crew members.

On Sunday, Alec Baldwin was photographed on the set of "Rust" and appeared to be having a little trouble mounting his horse. The 65-year-old actor was surrounded by no less than six members of the crew who helped him climb a small set of stairs and properly mount the horse to film the scene.

The "Beetlejuice" actor was fully dressed for the part, sporting a cowboy hat, brown overcoat, and leather boots. He has also been growing out his beard for the role, as seen in several of his past Instagram photos. The photographs of Baldwin struggling to mount his horse were first shared by the New York Post but they weren't the only photos of Baldwin that have been released over the weekend.

On Saturday, only one day after the involuntary manslaughter charges were officially dropped, TMZ shared photos showing that the actor was spotted holding a shotgun on set as he passed the firearm to another crew member.

Melina Spadone, Attorney for Rust Movie Productions, has stated that the Western film will not be using any working weapons this time around. “The production will continue to utilize union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition,” Spadone said. “Live ammunition is — and always was — prohibited on set.”

There are several crew members that are not returning to finish their work on "Rust." The first is first assistant director David Halls, who pled guilty to the charge of the negligent use of a firearm and is facing a six-month probation. Halls was reportedly the one who told Baldwin that he was holding a "cold gun" in October 2021 - a gun that did not contain live ammunition.

Another crew member who is not making a return to the set is "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who is still facing two charges of involuntary manslaughter.

On Friday, a virtual hearing postponed the preliminary trial hearing for "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, which is now scheduled for August 9 through August 16 in New Mexico's First Judicial District Court.

Although special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis dropped the two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is still facing those charges. The prosecutors have accused the rookie armorer of "sloppy mishandling of firearms" while on set, which they say led to the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is the daughter of famed movie armorer Thell Reed and only has worked as an armorer on one other movie set before she was hired to work on "Rust." Although she was reportedly in charge of loading the Colt .45 revolver for the infamous church scene, she was not present when the fatal incident happened.

Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed, Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion, released a statement, saying, “The new special prosecutor team has taken a very diligent and thorough approach to the entire investigation, which we welcome and have always welcomed.”

“They are seeking the truth and we are also. The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered,” they continued. “We fully expect at the end of this process that Hannah will also be exonerated.”

Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, will serve as an executive producer on the new film after reaching a settlement in his wrongful death lawsuit last October. He has reportedly given his “blessing and support” to the new cinematographer, Bianca Cline, who has worked on the critically acclaimed “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.”

In a statement at the time, Matthew Hutchins said, “We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed.”

“I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” Hutchins added. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”