Rust stars and film director are honoring the late Halyna Hutchins following her tragic death on Thursday. The cinematographer passed away on the set of the film in New Mexico after a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin misfired. She was 42 years old.
Jensen Ackles, who was set to portray U.S. Marshal Wood Helm in the film, took to social media to honor the late cinematographer. He wrote:
“I’m not even sure where to start. This has been a tragedy of epic proportions that we are all still processing.
Earlier last week I felt compelled to tell Halyna just how awesome I thought she was. I told her how incredible I thought her camera shots were and just how exciting it was to watch her and her team work. Truly. She laughed and said thank you and gave me a hug. I’ll forever be thankful we had that moment. She had a spunk and passion that infected the entire crew from the top down.
My heart and prayers go out to Halyna’s husband, son and the rest of her family. There just aren’t enough words to express what an immense loss this is. She will be incredibly missed by all of us who knew and admired her.”
Just days before the tragedy, Jensen had opened up about gun safety on set. The 43-year-old Supernatural star shared:
“I’ve got a 6 a.m. call tomorrow to have a big shootout. They had me pick my gun, they were like, ‘Alright, what gun would you like?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t know?’ and the armorer was like, ‘Do you have gun experience?’ I was like, ‘A little.’ And she’s like, ‘Okay, well, this is how you load it, this is how we check it and make sure it’s safe.’”
“So she’s like, ‘Okay I’m gonna put some blanks in there and I want you to just go and fire off a couple rounds towards the hill.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ So I put the belt on, I put the gun there, and I walked out and she’s like, ‘Just make sure that you know, you pull the hammer all the way back and you aim at your target.’ And I was like, ‘Okay I got it.’”
Jensen and his wife Daneel Ackles have donated to the AFI scholarship fun in her name, and to the Go Fund Me campaign, encouraging others to do the same if they are able.
Fellow Rust actor Josh Hopkins also wrote a touching message on social media. He said:
“As you might imagine, the entire cast and crew are in a state of absolute surreal grief and shock and I want to thank everyone who has reached out with such beautiful support and love.
“Secondly, there is already so much hurtful, blind speculation and misinformation circulating. Let’s please wait for the results of the investigation so we can avoid repeating a tragedy like this ever again.”
“Halyna was so generous with her kindness, she was an absolutely lovely person and a fierce artist. Her greatest joy was filmmaking. Please keep her husband, Matthew and their son in your thoughts.”
Josh shared the link to the Go Fund Me campaign set up by her husband in her honor.
Rust director Joel Souza has also spoken out for the first time since Halyna’s tragic passing. Joel was also hit during the accidental shooting, and was hospitalized for his gunshot wound. He was discharged later that night.
Joel released a statement on Saturday. Here’s what he said:
“I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna. She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better.
My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time.
I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out….. It will surely aid in my recovery.”
