In an interview with Hoda Kotb on 'Today', Matthew Hutchins says he felt 'so angry' watching Alec's TV interview in which he talked about the cinematographer's death.
- Feb 24, 2022
AceShowbiz - Halyna Hutchins' husband is speaking up after suing Alec Baldwin and other "Rust" crew members over the death of his wife. Speaking to Hoda Kotb on "Today", Matthew Hutchins called it "absurd" that the actor denied he's responsible for the shooting accident that led to her death.
"The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me," Matthew said in the Wednesday, February 23 interview. "But gun safety was not the only problem on that set. There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced and there's multiple responsible parties."
Matthew also revealed his reaction when watching Alec's TV interview, in which he insisted that he didn't pull the trigger. "Watching him, I just felt so angry," the widower said. "I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her."
"Hearing him blame Halyna in the interview and shift responsibility to others and seeing him cry about it," Matthew, who now raises his and Halyna's 9-year-old son Andros as a single parent, added. "I just feel like, 'Are we really supposed to feel bad for you, Mr. Baldwin?' "
Matthew believes that the fatal shooting was "totally preventable" and hopes that this tragedy will help raise awareness of the importance of workplace safety. He said they are "pursuing justice every way we can in the sense of going through this process together, but in the end, justice won't bring Halyna back but maybe the memory of her can help keep people safe and prevent something like this from ever happening again."
Earlier this month, the Hutchins family's lead lawyer Brian Panish filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec and other "Rust" crew members on behalf of Matthew and their son Andros in New Mexico. The suit accuses the "30 Rock" alum and others who "are responsible for the safety on the set" of "reckless behavior and cost-cutting" that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, assistant director David Halls, production companies and producers are specifically named in the lawsuit. The civil lawsuit is seeking unspecified but "substantial" damages, including punitive damages.
