Hilaria Baldwin Shares New Information About The Moment Alec Learned Halyna Hutchins Died
Alec Baldwin has been facing intense public (and legal) scrutiny since the October 21 on-set accidental shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of "Rust." On December 2, Alec shared his side of the story in an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, arguing he bears no responsibility for Hutchins' death because he never pulled the trigger. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them," he told Stephanopoulos. The actor also said that, while heartbroken, he feels no guilt over the shooting. "I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly," he added.
Alec's decision to address the media in the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation and a couple of civil lawsuits has been deemed as risky by legal experts, with some going so far as to call it a mistake. "It's really a no-upside situation, as far as the legal consequences are concerned. As an actor and as a public figure, there are nonlegal reasons to give an interview, but as an attorney, there's no reason you should ever give an interview like that. It can only backfire," former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told the Los Angeles Times. Rahmani added that the risks far outweigh the rewards because what he said in the interview can, in legal terms, be used against him but for in his defense.
However, Alec's wife, Hilaria Baldwin, said he had no option but to open up.
Hilaria Baldwin attempted to soothe Alec Baldwin
The moment Hilaria Baldwin found out about the shooting and Halyna Hutchins' death, she could only try to convey to Alec Baldwin that she would support him. "'I am here, I love you, and I will take care of you.' These were the only words that came to me when we learned Halyna had died. I remember saying that phrase over and over again," Hilaria captioned a December 3 Instagram post that included a photo of the two hugging and kissing.
In the lengthy caption, Hilaria also shared that she worried about Alec's decision to concede an interview about the shooting and its aftermath. "I was afraid for you to open up because I've seen your spirit crushed, your mental health shattered, your soul in unimaginable pain," she wrote. However, she respected his decision because speaking up is the only decision that made sense for him. "You always encourage me to speak, use my voice, stay true. You were right and continue to inspire me," she added.
Over the past weeks, Alec has thanked his wife for being his rock. "[Y]ou have given me a reason to live. Our life with our family is all I care about," he wrote on Instagram. While both Alec and Hilaria have been active on their Instagram pages, they deleted their Twitter accounts after the ABC News interview, per Deadline. While he has two, Alec deleted the one he used to address the shooting, the report detailed.