‘Rust’ director Joel Souza speaks about Alec Baldwin’s firing incident

“Rust” director Joel Souza has spoken up for the first time since the on set shooting involving Hollywood star Alec Baldwin.

The incident occurred in October 2021 when Baldwin accidently fired a prop gun that had a live bullet, resulting in the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and seriously injuring Souza.

In an interview with a US media outlet, Souza has now discussed the experience of being shot and his decision to complete the filming along with his relationship with the Hollywood star.

“It’s bizarre to have been shot. And then, who was holding the gun? That’s bizarre. I had this weird thought, like, ‘God, I remember watching The Hunt for Red October in the movie theater when I was a kid.’ It’s like your older self whispers to your younger self, ‘Hey, that guy…someday…’” he stated.

It is pertinent to mention that Joel Souza was directing a scene while standing behind Hutchins when the gun fired.

The bullet hit Hutchins in the chest and struck the ‘Rust’ director in the shoulder.

“The whole right side of my body went numb, completely numb, but it also hurt excruciatingly at the same time, if that makes sense. It’s just like everything went tingly and numb but hurt like hell all at once. And I staggered back and was either on my knees or on my ass — and just…yelling. I don’t even know what the hell I was yelling,” he said while recalling being shot by Alec Baldwin.

Following the shooting, first assistant director Dave Halls agreed to a plea bargain for a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon while armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

However, Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case was dismissed on July 12.

Detailing his relationship with the Hollywood star after resuming the shoot, Souza said: “Getting through it was tough. We got through it. I got the performance I wanted. We’re not friends. We’re not enemies. There’s no relationship.”

While the filming for ‘Rust’ was completed in March, Joel Souza revealed that the movie is yet to be shopped to distributors.

Souza expressed hope that the audience will be interested in Halyna Hutchins’ talent instead of the on set shooting that took her life.

“As a cinematographer, Halyna should have been out of my reach if this business made any sense, but it doesn’t. She should have been doing big studio movies. She should have outgrown a movie the size of ours. She should have been doing $100 million movies, not $7.5 million movies. Anybody who worked with her knew what she had and what she was,” he said.