Credit: Unsplash
Following the tragic incident on the Rust movie set last month where Alec Baldwin accidentally fired a live round from a prop gun, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the entertainment industry has been reevaluating the use of firearms on film sets. Many industry professionals have emphasized the need to switch from real firearms and blank ammunition to artificial props to prevent such accidents in the future. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for his role in Red Notice and as the head of Seven Bucks Productions, is one among those advocating for this change.
Reflecting on the Rust tragedy, Johnson expressed his sorrow, stating, “First of all, I was heartbroken. 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.”
He further stated, “I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without ambiguity, that any project produced by Seven Bucks Productions going forward — be it a movie, TV show, or any other production — will completely eliminate the use of real guns. We will transition to rubber guns and address any necessary effects in post-production. Cost considerations will not take precedence over safety.”
Dwayne @TheRock Johnson has committed to refraining from using real firearms in all projects created by his company, @SevenBucksProd: “We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post… We won’t worry about what it costs.” https://t.co/zZnTdxZuYD pic.twitter.com/n1tjAzfbvG
— Variety (@Variety) November 4, 2021
Meanwhile, Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer for Rust, has raised concerns that an unidentified third party may have deliberately inserted live rounds among the dummy rounds to create a safety hazard.
Jason Bowles, Gutierrez’s attorney, commented, “We’re concerned that this may have been the case, where an individual intentionally placed live ammunition in a box of dummies to cause a safety risk on set.”
He clarified, “We are not claiming that there was an intent to cause a tragic or fatal outcome, but rather to instigate a safety issue. This is our understanding of what occurred.”
