AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, pool via Getty Images
The mother of slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed in 2021 when a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin went off while filming the Western film “Rust,” declined an invitation to its premiere on Wednesday.
“Rust” is premiering at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in Torun, Poland, three years after Hutchins was shot and killed. Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, released a statement saying she sees the film’s release as an opportunity for Baldwin to “unjustly profit” from her daughter’s death, the Associated Press reported.
“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” Solovey began in the statement, referencing the fact that director Joel Souza, who was wounded when the revolver Baldwin held fired, was slated to introduce the film at the festival.
“Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter,” the statement continued. “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.”
“That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter,” Solovey said.
A New Mexico judge dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin for the fatal shooting. The 66-year-old actor currently has multiple civil lawsuits pending, including one by Solovey.
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“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail.
Baldwin has maintained all along that he was not responsible for the shooting death. In December 2021, Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in an interview on ABC News that “I didn’t pull the trigger” of the prop gun that fired and killed Hutchins. Baldwin further denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death.
“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” Baldwin told the host. “I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.”
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