Alec Baldwin Reveals He’s Returned to Work, Months After ‘Rust’ Shooting

Alec Baldwin at the Hamptons International Film Festival in East Hampton, New York, on Oct. 7, 2021. (Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for National Geographic/TNS)

Actor Alec Baldwin confirmed this week that he’s returned to work on movies, coming months after an on-set incident in which he allegedly shot and killed a cinematographer.

“I haven’t worked since October 21 of last year when this horrible thing happened on the set of this film and the accidental death of our cinematographer Halyna Hutchins,” the former “30 Rock” star was quoted by the Hollywood Reporter as saying. “I still find that hard to say. But I went back to work today for the first time in three and a half months.”

“We had our first day today, which is always … tricky,” Baldwin, 63, also said. “I don’t work as much as I used to. I said this before maybe, but you go to work and you forget what you’re supposed to do. I just was like, ‘What do you do? What is acting or any of this nonsense I ended up doing?’ It’s strange to go back to work.”

The shooting incident in New Mexico during the filming of “Rust” is still being investigated by authorities in Santa Fe County. Baldwin hasn’t been charged with a crime in connection to the shooting.

Several months ago, investigators said there was “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on the “Rust” set. They have said it is too soon to determine whether charges will be filed, amid independent civil lawsuits concerning liability in the fatal shooting.

Authorities said that on Oct. 21, 2021, the gun Baldwin was holding allegedly discharged during a rehearsal, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

In an interview with ABC News in early December, Baldwin stated it is essential for investigators to find out who put a live round in the gun he fired—that was supposed to be empty.

“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” the longtime actor also claimed. “I let go of the hammer and ‘bang’ the gun goes off,” he said.

But gun experts cast doubt on Baldwin’s account of the incident. Michigan-based firearms expert Steven Howard told Reuters at the time that it is “very, very rare” for a gun to misfire, and it would occur if the trigger or hammer suffers a breakage or malfunction. The gun can also misfire if it is clogged with debris, he said.

Instead, Howard suggested, Baldwin may have misremembered the incident.

“He may not remember pulling the trigger. That happens quite regularly with traumatic events, but if he insists that he did not pull the trigger, I find that very hard to believe,” Howard told the outlet. “If someone puts me in the room with that gun for two minutes, I’ll tell if he’s a liar or not.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.