Despite his teary lamentation in December that he might never act again, actor Alec Baldwin was spotted returning to a film set in England just last week. Despite fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the since-defunct film Rust back in October, Baldwin seemed to have gotten away with the killing, both as the actor who aimed a loaded gun at Hutchins without following the basic firearm safety law of checking its chamber and as the producer of a set riddled with safety violations.
But alas, the walls are finally closing in on the famously violent curmudgeon. Hutchins’s family has finally filed a wrongful death suit against Baldwin and the “others who are responsible for the safety on set, and whose reckless behavior and cost-cutting led to the senseless, tragic death” of the slain cinematographer.
Within days of the shooting, Baldwin attempted to make nice with Hutchins’s widowed husband Matthew and son Andros. The tabloids soon churned out puff pieces citing “sources” about Baldwin’s grief and picture-perfect poses captured by the paparazzi of Baldwin having breakfast with Matthew and Andros. Baldwin loudly maintained his innocence, culminating with his retirement tease on ABC News.
All of those waterworks and deflections of blame ultimately may not have been enough. Law enforcement has yet to press charges against Baldwin, who previously resisted handing over his phone to the authorities, but discovery may prove damning enough to do in the megalomaniac for good.
As a pivotal producer on a low-budget project, did Baldwin know that crew members had introduced live rounds into the set for “plinking,” or playing target practice, in total violation of basic workplace safety laws? Did he have any awareness that whether you’re acting or in the army, one never, ever aims a gun at a target one does not intend to destroy without personally checking whether it is loaded? And most importantly, is there any evidence, be it in texts and emails or sworn testimony, that he has been lying about his ignorance this whole time, or worse, back when he could have prevented Hutchins’s death in the first place?
Baldwin probably won’t spend any time behind bars for this, but the evidence alone could finish his entire tenure in public life. At least, for once, he cannot blame his temper. This time, it was pure hubris.
