'Rust' Assistant Director Who Handed Alec Baldwin Loaded Prop Gun Had 'Flippant' Attitude Toward On-Set Safety, Colleagues Claim
Oct. 25 2021, Published 1:42 p.m. ET
As the investigation into the fatal shooting that shut down production of Alec Baldwin's latest film continues, former colleagues are speaking out against Rust's assistant director, Dave Halls, who is reportedly responsible for handing the actor the prop gun he used to accidentally kill cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injury director Joel Souza.
One pyrotechnicians/prop master who worked with Halls on two similarly low-budget projects in Los Angeles in the spring of 2019 spoke to The Daily Mail anonymously, saying both sets involved the use of firearms: one had a revolver and a Glock, the other had shotguns.
The crew member – who said he had a decade's worth of experience – asked to be identified by the pseudonym "Jay."
Jay told the outlet that Halls did not feel having daily, industry-standard meetings to discuss on-set safety around the guns were all that necessary.
"He was very flippant about my insistence on having a safety meeting about the weapons, on both of the sets," said Jay. "He would rush through it and say, alright guys, be safe, let's get to work."
"Even though the guns were not loaded, you have to treat it as if it always is," he explained. "And for me that means doing a safety meeting that may be seen as unnecessary but should absolutely be done so that everyone is on the same page."
Jay did note that he has seen firsthand the amount of stress assistant directors (ADs) feel to complete the day's work, which oftentimes results in corners being cut.
"Systemically, so much pressure is put on the first assistant directors to meet a schedule, to 'make the day,' meaning to get all the work done that you already have scheduled for the day," he said. "When it comes to safety on set, or having to wait for anything, because safety takes time, I have seen 1st ADs get annoyed for having to wait."
However, he said most "ultimately understand it needs to be done. But when I worked with [Halls], it was the only time I've had any AD ask me, 'Do we really need to have a safety meeting?'"
According to Jay, there should never be any live ammunition on set, and guns should never be pointed directly at anyone.
Additionally, he said every set that does contain pistols should have an "armorer" present. On the two sets he worked on with Halls, he said their armorer would shine a flashlight down the barrel of the gun to show no blockage or potential projectile.
"When you fire, no projectile is supposed to come out, though it still could be dangerous," Jay explained. "That's where there are rules. You don't aim it at anybody at any time."
He also said that an AD should never touch the gun, as reports claim Halls allegedly handed Baldwin the firearm in question.
"His job is to check the guns, visually, check them with the actor and with the steward on set who is the property person or the armorer," said Jay. "The chain of custody for the gun should only be between the armorer, the property person and the actor directly handling it."
He went on to say he believes Halls is "in every way responsible" for the death of Hutchins, pointing to director Souza's account that he heard the AD refer to the pistol as a "cold gun," which indicates that a firearm is not loaded and is safe for use.
"First of all, [Halls] was never supposed to handle that prop. Then he declared it a cold gun. It li