Cast and crew detail ‘Rust’ tragedy in new documentary: ‘This experience will never be over for anyone associated with it’

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

(CNN) — Through headlines, trials and social media, the tragic details of how cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of “Rust” in 2021 are well known to many. Less familiar, until a new documentary released Tuesday, is the story of her life, those who knew her and those who lived through – and now with – her death.

In “Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna,” cast and crew members from the film open up about safety concerns some had leading up to the fatal shooting, being on set that day and dealing with the aftermath.

They recall their experiences, like learning from online media reports that their friend and co-worker had died. The details make for compelling storytelling in the documentary, but, on a human level, the vividness of their memories seemingly makes the path toward healing from the trauma difficult.

“I’m glad there’s a different ending for the experience,” actor Josh Hopkins says at one point, speaking from the set after the production team had made a deal with Hutchins’ family to resume production and finish the film. “But this experience will never be over for anyone associated with it.”

Actor Devon Werkheiser describes the cast and crew’s return and being back in his wardrobe as eerie – “like being alone in a sea of people.”

“I guess that’s how trauma and grief goes,” he says.

Actor Alec Baldwin, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting but saw the case dismissed in dramatic fashion on the third day of his trial, is not among those interviewed.

Viewers do, however, hear from several members of the “Rust” production crew.

A father-son special effects team, identified only by their first names, Roman and Thomas, are among those interviewed. The younger man says the incident is “something that will stick with you forever.”

His father admits, “It’s been almost two years, and this is the first time we’ve talked about it. (It’s the) first time I’ve heard my son talk about it – never has ever said a word.”

The grim accounts about factors that led the fatal shooting are a large focus, too – from the camera crew’s walkout over safety concerns to the failures of inexperienced armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison last year.

In hindsight, some of the interviewees say, regrets run deep.

Actress Frances Fisher remembers meeting Gutierrez Reed on set and having early concerns about how she handled some of the firearms on set.

“The sloppiness that Hannah displayed that first day…I wish I had said something to her and I wish I had said something to (Baldwin). But I don’t want to make waves, see?” she recounts to the camera. “And would my alerting somebody, would that have changed anything? That’s what gnaws at me.”

A member of the camera team who walked out the same day Hutchins was killed chokes up when recounting the fatal shooting, which happened during a scene rehearsal.

“I heard her monitor wasn’t working, and she had to see the frame from the steady cam and I was like, ‘Well if I was there, I could have put her monitor out of harm’s way,’” the man, identified as Jonas, says. “I always made sure she was out of danger. Any time the gun was pointed, I would make sure that monitor was safe.”

Dave Halls, an assistant director who took a plea deal after being charged related to the shooting, is also interviewed. Halls handed the prop gun to Baldwin before the fatal shooting.

“I was negligent in the inspection of that gun. It could have been a more thorough inspection,” he says, tearing up. “I pled guilty …A thorough inspection didn’t happen. I could have been a last line of defense.”

The documentary is directed by Hutchins’ friend, Rachel Mason. Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, is also an executive producer.

“Rust” premiered in Poland last year. Director Joel Souza, who was injured in the shooting, speaks in the documentary about the movie’s completion, saying he hopes others get to “appreciate” Hutchins’ work.

“You get to see it up on screen — how she saw the world,” he says. “That’s pretty amazing.”

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