Alec Baldwin could probably use Quentin Tarantino’s help right now in reviving a career that the veteran film and TV actor admitted has been badly damaged by his involvement in the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
But, sadly for Baldwin, it would be surprising if Tarantino considered casting Baldwin in his next gritty crime thriller or revisionist history drama. That’s because the “Pulp Fiction” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” director said he holds the “30 Rock” star partially responsible for the 2021 death of Hutchins on the set of “Rust.”
Speaking to Bill Maher on Maher’s “Club Random Podcast” Sunday, Tarantino weighed in on the shooting after a judge dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin last month, the Daily Beast reported. Maher asked the director if he was “wrong” to believe that prosecutors should not have brought charges against Baldwin if they didn’t believe he intentionally shot Hutchins while rehearsing a scene.
US director Quentin Tarantino poses on the red carpet of the European premiere of film ‘The Hateful Eight’ in London on December 10, 2015. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEALLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
“The armorer is 90 percent responsible for everything that happens when it comes to that gun,” said the celebrated auteur, whose films are known for their artfully staged scenes of violence and gunfights.
“But, but, but, but, but, but the actor is 10 percent responsible,” Tarantino said. “It’s a gun,” he continued. “You are a partner in the responsibility to some degree.”
In January, when prosecutors filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, SAG-AFTRA released a statement expressing the opposite view to Tarantino’s, arguing that actors should not be responsible for inspecting guns on set, the Daily Beast said.
“An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” the statement read. “Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.”
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In July, New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer threw out the case against Baldwin after finding the prosecution withheld evidence that the defense said could have helped prove Baldwin’s innocence. Before and during his trial, Baldwin maintained that he was told by either Gutierrez-Reed or the assistant director that the gun was “cold,” meaning it was safe to use because it held no live rounds. Baldwin also insisted that he didn’t pull the trigger.
But the gun did hold a live round, and the gun fired, with the live round fatally wounding Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Prosecutors argued that Baldwin had been reckless in his handling of the firearm at other times on the set, and they said that an FBI analysis showed that the gun could not have fired without Baldwin pulling the trigger.
But Baldwin no longer has to worry about being prosecuted for the shooting, as the judge dismissed the case with prejudice. However, he faces litigation from wrongful death lawsuits filed by Hutchins widower and family.
Meanwhile, Baldwin is no doubt eager to get his once celebrated, Emmy-winning career on track. Reports also have suggested that he needs to make money to cover his legal expenses.
Baldwin in fact may be so desperate that he’s currently filming a reality TV show with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, for the TLC network. The show has faced criticism because it chronicles their hectic family life as the parents of seven small children, with the potential that the children have not given their consent and could be exploited, as in other TLC shows.
In certain ways, Tarantino could have been the prefect auteur to help Baldwin get back some of his respectability as a screen actor. That is, if Tarantino is interested in directing another movie.
Since before “Pulp Fiction” in 1994, Tarantino has become known for creating juicy roles for actors whose careers are floundering or who need their first big breaks, according to ScreenRant.
Tarantino wrote the acclaimed “Jackie Brown” to create a starring role for Pam Grier, the female star of 1970s blaxploitation action thrillers who had largely been forgotten. He also helped make a star of Samuel L. Jackson in his groundbreaking “Pulp Fiction.” Most famously, he gave John Travolta a leading role in “Pulp Fiction,” which helped resuscitate his once high-flying career as the star of such 1970s and 1980s films as “Saturday Night Fever,” “Grease” and “Urban Cowboy.”
