Hollywood is in mourning after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on set by actor and producer Alec Baldwin after firing a prop handgun.
Hutchins, 42, was the director of photography on Baldwin’s latest project, “Rust,” a Western starring Baldwin, Travis Fimmel, and Jensen Ackles that was being shot in New Mexico.
Hutchins was shot at 1:50 p.m. local time on Thursday. She was airlifted to the hospital but died from her injuries.
Hutchins was born in Ukraine and raised in Los Angeles, where he attended the American Film Institute and graduated in 2015. According to IMDB, she was involved in the development of 49 films, television shows, and video games over her career.
She worked on films such as Joe Manganiello’s “Archenemy,” which was released last year, and was designated an emerging star by American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.
Hutchins was up on a Soviet military post in the Arctic Circle, according to her website, and studied journalism at Kyiv National University, finishing with a degree in international journalism, before moving on to work on documentary productions around Europe and eventually transitioning to cinema.
She defined herself as a “creative” on her Instagram page “Dreamer with a restless spirit. Adrenaline junkie is a term used to describe someone who is addicted to the rush of adrenal “Cinematographer” and “Rust” photographs were shared “set up
Her most recent post, on Wednesday, was a video of her horseback riding in New Mexico.
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James Cullen Bressack, a film director, commented on her post, saying: “I will miss you my friend…. This is devastating.”
Hutchins was honored by other filmmakers.
“I’m so sad about losing Halyna,” stated “Archenemy” director Adam Egypt Mortimer. “And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.”
The American Film Institute’s AFI Conservatory, a film school, tweeted on Friday, “As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community. At AFI, we pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told.”
The incident also injured Director Joel Souza, 48, who was sent to Christus St. Vincent’s Regional Medical Center.
After being questioned, Baldwin was spotted looking distraught in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County sheriff’s headquarters on Thursday.
Many people are baffled as to how such a tragedy could occur on a movie set 28 years after Bruce Lee’s son Brandon Lee was unintentionally killed on set by a pistol.
Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on “Rust”. No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period. 💔
— Brandon Bruce Lee (@brandonblee) October 22, 2021
My greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets. I pray this will never happen. My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy today on Rust, especially Halyna Hutchins & her family.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 22, 2021
I’m in shock. I was so lucky to have had Halyna Hutchins as my DP on Archenemy. An incredible talent & great person. I can’t believe this could happen in this day and age… gunfire from a prop gun could kill a crew member? What a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to her family pic.twitter.com/W479ch56Js
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) October 22, 2021
Deepest condolences to the family and friends of Halyna Hutchins. Crew should never be unsafe on set and when they are there is always a clearly definable reason why. #IASolidarity
— Alex Winter (@Winter) October 22, 2021
My heart goes out to Halyna Hutchins family. What a heartbreaking loss. Sending prayers to Joel Souza. I’m sure everyone is devastated. Alec Baldwin Fired Prop Gun That Killed DP and Wounded Director – Variety https://t.co/3apNSUokUb
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 22, 2021