Angelina Jolie has passed on her condolences to those involved with the Alec Baldwin shooting, while insisting she is always ‘very careful’ when handling firearms on set.
Beetlejuice actor Baldwin accidentally shot and killed his co-worker, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, on the set of their western Rust last month. The 63-year-old actor was reportedly unaware there was a live round in the gun and also injured director Joel Souza while rehearsing the scene.
The tragic accident has sparked a conversation about the use of real guns on movie and TV sets while a petition to ban them has gathered momentum in recent days.
Addressing the incident, Angelia told The Times: ‘I can’t imagine what these families are going through. At this moment, the grief and the tragedy of that accident is quite overwhelming.’
She then spoke on her own safety protocols when handling guns on movie sets, adding: ‘I’ve always been very careful because I’ve had to work with guns a lot. The way I’ve worked or checked when I’m directing, there are certain procedures. You have to take it very seriously.’
Angelina, 48, is known for starring in action-packed blockbusters such as Tomb Raider, Mr & Mrs Smith, Wanted and Salt, all of which feature her using guns.
In 2008, the Hollywood star admitted she owned a gun and kept it at the marital home she shared with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
‘Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one,’ she told the Mail Online at the time. ‘And yes, I’d be able to use it if I had to… If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I have no problem shooting them.’
Angelina isn’t the only A-lister speaking out about the Baldwin shooting – Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock has said he will now stop using real guns in his movies going forward to avoid a similar fatal accident.
Speaking to Variety, the Jungle Cruise actor said: ‘I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without an absence of clarity here, that any movie we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions – any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce – we won’t use real guns at all.’
He continued: ‘We’re going to switch over the rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in the post [production]. We’re not going to worry about the dollars, we won’t worry about what it costs.’
The Baywatch actor explained that he was left ‘heartbroken’ over Hutchins’ death and Souza’s injury.
Dwayne stated: ‘We lost a life. My heart goes out to her family and everybody on set. I’ve known Alec, too, for a very long time.’
Production on Rust has shut down and Baldwin recently said it was unlikely to resume following the incident. Police investigations into the shooting are ongoing.
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