One of the actors set to appear in the ill-fated Rust movie has spoken out about Alec Baldwin's recent charges following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Earlier this week, it was announced that 63-year-old Baldwin has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for his role as an actor and producer on the set of the western movie Rust.
Prosecutors also revealed that the movie's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has also been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was handed a functional prop firearm that discharged a round that injured director Joel Souza and fatally wounded 42-year-old Hutchins in New Mexico.
Baldwin has previously claimed in a tearful interview with ABC News that he did not pull the trigger of the gun.
A statement released by Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, claims that the prosecutors' decision "distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice," per Sky News.
"Mr Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun - or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds," Nikas said. "We will fight these charges, and we will win."
Now, actor Douglas Stewart - who is set to appear in Rust as the Town Father, per IMDb - has spoken out about his co-star's charges.
Speaking to TMZ, Stewart said: "As an actor, I've been involved in two films where I've had to use guns. I was in a TV series where I had to use guns. And I've been in stage plays where I've had to use guns. In all of those previous experiences, there were strict procedures followed."
Stewart went on to say that the responsibility of the firearms lies with the production's armorer and directors, adding: "If you're handling a gun, either the stage manager - or, in the case of the film, an armorer - is in charge of handing the gun over to the actor.
"So, the actor in all of my experiences has never checked the gun, double-checked it - you're not allowed to open the chamber, check the barrel, anything."
When asked about Baldwin's role on the movie as an executive producer, Stewart added: "He was not a day-to-day producer, he wouldn't have been - in my mind - involved in any aspect of... safety, for example.
"Anything to do with production, whether it was lighting, sound, costuming - name your production item - that wasn't his role at all."
TMZ then asked Stewart if the experience will make him check any prop firearms he works with in the future, to which he replied: "I will not.
"I will ask the armorer - I will be more certainly asking the armorer again to double-check in front of everyone. And that supposedly happened that day that Alec Baldwin had that gun. He was given the gun and it was given a clear, you know, cold - 'it's a cold gun on a set'. And you've got to trust that by the professionals.
"They're the safety professionals; the armorer and the assistant director that was given that gun. To me, they're the ones who are responsible."
Per Metro, production on Rust is still set to continue - despite the charges.
Additionally, legal experts have since weighed in on what the charges could mean for Baldwin, which you can read more of here.
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