Quentin Tarantino on Alec Baldwin and 'Rust' Shooting: 'The Actor's 10% Responsible'

Quentin Tarantino thinks actor Alec Baldwin bears some responsiblity in the 2021 Rust shooting incident, but not as much as since-convicted armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

A little over a month since Baldwin’s manslaughter case was dismissed involving the murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Tarantino was a guest on Bill Maher-hosted podcast Club Random, where the shooting was discussed.

Around the 1:02:00 mark of the video below, Maher joked that Baldwin had been asked to host the Academy Awards, prompting him to make the joke, "He said he couldn't do it because he was shooting."

After calling himself "the biggest supporter of his bullshit case," Maher then asked how the shooting could be Baldwin's fault.

"It's a situation, I think...I'm being fair enough to say, that the armorer—the guy who handles the gun—is 90% responsible for everything that happens when it comes to that gun, but ... the actor's 10% responsible," Tarantino said. "It's a gun. You are a partner in the responsibility, to some degree."

On handling a prop weapon, Tarantino added, "If there's steps to go through, you go through them, and it's done with due diligence. And you know it's fuckin' for real."

During an October 2021 rehearsal for Rust in New Mexico, Baldwin discharged the gun, killing Hutchens, 42, and injuring director Joel Souza, leading him to be hospitalized.

While Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March and is currently serving an 18-month sentence, Baldwin has maintained his innocence and cannot be charged again in connection to the shooting due to his case dismissal.
Rust assistant director Dave Halls took a plea deal for negligent use of a deadly weapon and in April, was sentenced to six months probation.

After his case dismissal, Baldwin thanked fans on Instagram, writing that there were "too many people who have supported me to thank just now."