Alec Baldwin Claims 2021 'Rust' Shooting 'Traumatized' Wife Hilaria Baldwin

Actor Alec Baldwin claims that his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, was "traumatized" by the 2021 shooting on the Western film "Rust."

The "30 Rock" actor had been holding a gun while rehearsing a scene inside of a church when the weapon went off, striking and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza was also hospitalized as a result of the incident.

While accepting the Torino Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, Alec Baldwin spoke about the "Rust" shooting, which he described as "the most difficult thing I've ever dealt with in my life."

The actor had initially been charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023; however, the charges were dropped in April pending further investigation into the gun used in the shooting. After an FBI forensics test concluded that the trigger had to be pulled for the gun to fire, charges were renewed in January 2024.

However, on the third day of his July trial, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the trial with prejudice after finding that prosecutors violated the Brady Rule and withheld evidence that would have been favorable to the defense.

As such, Baldwin can no longer be criminally charged for his role in Hutchins' death. He had been facing a maximum sentence of 18 months behind bars if convicted.

After the judge dismissed criminal charges against her husband, Baldwin's wife, Hilaria Baldwin, was seen crying in the courtroom. “Beyond the victims themselves, the thing that most pains me is what it did to my wife. My wife has been very, very traumatized from this,” Baldwin told Varietyat the film festival.

“There has been a lot of pain. When you are married to somebody and everything was going fairly well and we had seven kids … and the floor falls out.  It’s very frightening and very disturbing,” the actor added.

The couple shares daughters Carmen Gabriela, 10, María Lucía Victoria, 2, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, 15 months, with his wife. He also shares four sons: Rafael Thomas, 8, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 7, Romeo Alejandro David, 5, and Eduardo "Edu" Pao Lucas, 3.

Baldwin is also a father to model Ireland Baldwin, 27, whom he shares with his ex-wife, "Batman" actress Kim Basinger.

Although the crew was able to finish the movie after moving production from New Mexico to Montana, the "Beetlejuice" actor believes that the film will always be "overshadowed" by Halyna Hutchins' tragic death.

“And we are trying to get the wind in our sails, to get away from this stuff," Baldwin told the outlet. "Because the film doesn’t stand by itself. It’s always going to be overshadowed by this."

“That’s sad because when we started, I put my shoulder into this the way I did, helping them to write a script and to bring all these other things," he explained. "I endured multiple rises and falls with this like a soufflé: up, down, up, down, trying to find a location, to find money and stuck with this for a couple of years."

“Then we finally got it made. When we arrived on set, we were all elated. We were so happy! Like all independent films, there were a lot of time considerations, we were on a tough schedule. But we were all happy to be there, we were happy to make the film," he added. "And I am happy that the film got completed. It’s been such a tragedy, which of course we would do anything to undo."

Following the tragedy, the "Supercell" actor reveals that he has no plans to watch the finished version of the film beyond the rough cut that he already saw.

“I was sent a rough cut early on before everything got a little more sticky and difficult. So I haven’t seen the film," Baldwin explained. "But, again, I hope the film is released, that it comes out. That it makes its money back for its investors. You never want these people who believed in your project to be left high and dry."

However, Halyna Hutchins' mother, Olga Solovey, has accused Baldwin through her attorney, Gloria Allred, of trying to "unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter" by releasing the film and refused to attend the premiere or the panel that honored her daughter following the screening.

The "Saturday Night Live" alum told Variety that he was "very sick" and "physically drained and ill" following the shooting. He claims that doctors recommended he stop work on the film when production resumed in Montana over a year after the shooting. However, Baldwin insisted that he finish up his work and went anyway.

“I said to Joel, ‘Are you going to do it? If you think it’s important to do this, I’ll do it. If it’s the only way we can settle the case with [Hutchins’] husband and the estate is to finish the film, let’s do it,’” Baldwin recalled.

“So we go to Montana. We finish … And I waived my fee. I gave them back the fee in the budget. I waived all my backend. I gave everything to her husband,” Baldwin added, although this has yet to be confirmed by Halyna Hutchins' husband, Matthew.

“And I hope the movie is sold, and that he gets his money. We all made a deal with him and we all want to follow through," Baldwin added. "But this idea that people — who shall remain nameless — say, ‘You are profiting from this!’ That is absolutely wrong."

"Rust" premiered at the Polish Camerimage Festival on November 20.