Quentin Tarantino Explains Why Alec Baldwin Is '10 Percent Responsible' for Fatal 'Rust' Shooting Despite Being Cleared of All Charges

Famed movie director Quentin Tarantino doesn't believe Alec Baldwin is totally innocent in the fatal Rust shooting that took cinematographer Halyna Hutchins ' life.

While appearing on the Sunday, August 25, episode of Bill Maher 's "Club Random" podcast, Tarantino — who wasn't involved in the movie — explained his beliefs as to why the 30 Rock alum is also to partially to blame for the tragedy.

"I think I’m being fair enough to say, that the armorer — the guy who hands you the gun — is 90 percent responsible for everything that happens when it comes to that gun but … the actor is 10 percent responsible," the Oscar winner, 61, insisted. "It’s a gun, you are a partner in the responsibility to some degree."

The filmmaker said that when handling prop weapons on set, everyone needs to go through safety steps with "due diligence."

"They show you that the barrel is clear. And then they show you some version of, ‘Here are our blanks’ and ‘Here’s the gun’ … and it’s ready for two or it’s ready for three [rounds]," Tarantino elaborated. "And if an actor knows he has three … rounds in his gun and he knows that I’m going to do a scene … and he knows he’s got three hot rounds… if one of the rounds doesn’t go off … then he should cut the scene."

As OK! reported, Baldwin, 66, stated that he believed he was using a prop gun with blank bullets when he was filming, but it somehow ended up being a real gun, with a fired shot hitting Hutchins and taking her life in October 2021.

This past April, the flick's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

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"I did not hear you take accountability in your allocution. You said you were sorry, but not (that) you were sorry for what you did," the judge said at the time. "You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon . But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother."

The dad-of-eight was also on trial for involuntary manslaughter, but the July case was dismissed after his attorney pointed out that evidence potentially linked to the investigation was kept concealed by prosecutors.

The Emmy winner cried tears of joy when the decision was made and reacted to the news via an Instagram post.

"There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now," he said. "To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family."