Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' Director Reveals Where Their Friendship Stands After the Accidental Shooting

It’s been almost three years since Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on the set of Rust . Since then, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and Baldwin’s charges were dismissed with prejudice after the prosecutors withheld evidence from his legal team. Now, Souza is talking about the emotional impact of the case — and the devastating consequences.

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The director’s interview with Vanity Fair shows off his conflicting views on the situation because he feels the event “ruined” him. “I don’t mean in the sense that people might generally think,” Souza explained to the media outlet. “I don’t mean that it put my career in ruins. I mean, internally, the person I was just went away. That stopped.” He’s had to sort through his feelings about the film and about Baldwin to figure out where their relationship stands today.

Most of the cast and some of the original crew resumed filming in January 2023 after a long hiatus post-accident . Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, joined as an executive producer, intending to help see his late wife’s vision through to the end. For Souza and Baldwin, there were definitely boundaries drawn the second time around because their relationship had changed. Souza wanted to make it very clear that he was the one in charge, not the 66-year-old actor.

“I had to make it crystal clear that if I’m coming back, creatively I am going to have what I want. There was not going to be a discussion about it, and that’s that,” Souza said. “I was just all over the place emotionally during that whole second shoot.” The men made it through the finishing touches for Rust, but it seems the damage was done. Souza said simply, “Getting through it was tough. We got through it. I got the performance I wanted. We’re not friends. We’re not enemies. There’s no relationship.”

Baldwin, who also seems greatly affected by the incident, told ABC News in December 2021 how he was haunted by the memory of the shooting. “I think back, and I think of what could I have done?” Baldwin said. “[Halyna] was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her] and liked by everyone who worked with [her], and admired… I mean, even now I find it hard to believe that [she’s gone]. It doesn’t seem real to me.”

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