Alec Baldwin goes on trial over fatal 'Rust' shooting

Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial over the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of a Western movie begins Tuesday, with the selection of a jury who must decide if a "Rust" crew member's death was his fault.

The Hollywood A-lister was pointing a prop gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a scene rehearsal when it fired a live round, killing her and wounding the movie's director.

Baldwin, 66, says he did not know the gun was loaded and did not pull the trigger. Prosecutors say he acted recklessly on set and has repeatedly changed his story since the tragic events of October 2021.

Multiple attempts by Baldwin's lawyers to have the case thrown out have failed. On Monday, the actor attended a final pre-trial hearing, taking detailed notes on a yellow pad that he stashed in a Barnes & Noble tote bag.

Jury selection begins Tuesday, with opening arguments expected Wednesday and the case in the southwestern state of New Mexico due to last around 10 days.

Due to the "30 Rock" actor's immense fame, and the rarity of on-set deaths, the story has garnered global attention while sharply polarizing opinion.

Sympathetic observers view Baldwin as a victim who has been pursued by prosecutors in part due to his status as a celebrity and liberal darling.

Others see the death as the easily avoidable result of a movie star's allegedly unpredictable and complacent behavior.

"To watch Mr Baldwin's conduct on the set of 'Rust' is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him," special prosecutor Kari Morrissey has said.

If found guilty, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison. It is not yet known if he plans to take the stand in his defense.

- 'Basic gun safety' -

Hutchins's death occurred almost three years ago, during a rehearsal in a small chapel on the Bonanza Creek Ranch, on a sunny afternoon mid-way through the filming of "Rust."

Baldwin was practicing a scene in which his character, an aging outlaw who has been cornered in the church by two marshals, draws his Colt six-shooter.

The actor says he was told the gun was safe, was instructed by Hutchins to aim the revolver in her direction, and did not pull the trigger.

Live bullets are in any case banned from movie sets, and Baldwin has said it was not his responsibility as an actor to check.

Filming of "Rust" was halted by the tragedy, but completed last year on location in Montana.

Earlier this year the film's armorer was convicted of manslaughter in the same courthouse, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Her trial revealed arguments the prosecution will likely level against Baldwin.

At the time, armorer Hannah Gutierrez's defense lawyers said Baldwin "violated some of the most basic gun safety rules you can ever learn," including never pointing a gun at a person unless you intend to fire it.

"Alec Baldwin's conduct and his lack of gun safety inside that church on that day is something that he's going to have to answer for," responded Morrissey.

"Not with you and not today. That'll be with another jury, on another day."

- Defense boost -

That day has now arrived.

On Monday, Baldwin -- dressed in a dark suit and striped tie, wearing thick-rimmed glasses and with his hair clipped short -- observed as lawyers settled various pre-trial matters.

In a boost for the defense, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled prosecutors cannot argue Baldwin's additional role as a producer on "Rust" makes him more culpable.

But the case finally arriving in court is already a victory for prosecutors, who have fended off multiple attempts to have it dismissed.

Among these, Baldwin's lawyers said damage to the gun caused by an FBI testing lab meant the actor could not get a fair trial.

The FBI found the gun could not have fired without its trigger being pulled -- a conclusion the defense say they were robbed of a chance to disprove.

The judge was not convinced, and ordered the trial to proceed.

Hollywood on edge about firearms

In a studio near Los Angeles, a group of filmmakers practice framing a close-up of a rubber gun held by an actor, when they are suddenly interrupted.

"He's pointing the gun directly at the crew -- it's exactly what happened on 'Rust'", said Dutch Merrick, a veteran armorer who offers training on gun safety in movies.

"Who's going to raise that and speak up, if they see this situation?" he demands.

Merrick is referring to the infamous tragedy that took place in October 2021 on the New Mexico set of Alec Baldwin's low-budget Western "Rust."

That day, Baldwin pointed a prop gun in the direction of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He believed the revolver contained only blank bullets, but a live round struck Hutchins.

Baldwin goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter this Tuesday.

"It was a wake up call to me," said Virginia Brazier, one of the group attending Merrick's training course.

She works as a production manager, responsible for hiring film crews, including armorers and prop masters.

"I want to know what questions to ask people, to make sure that I'm vetting and doing proper recruiting to make sure that we're safe on set," she told AFP.

- 'Golden rules' -

During the course, Merrick underlines that Rust was "underbudgeted." He believes that led to a series of failures, culminating in an "industrial accident."

He teaches students simple ways to help identify blank bullets, such as their characteristic ridged tips.

And he makes attendees learn and repeat aloud the three "golden rules" of gun safety.

Always point the gun in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. And always treat a firearm as if it were loaded.

These are valuable basics for an industry set on edge by the "Rust" tragedy, said Ryan Taylor, an assistant director.

"A lot of the crew members in general are just a bit more nervous," he said, at the workshop.

Crew members often now want to inspect props themselves, and want any rounds contained within prop guns to have been "fully shown" before use, said Taylor.

While the "Rust" tragedy prompted some calls for banning firearms from sets altogether, Hollywood has generally preferred less radical measures.

Industry guidelines on firearm use were revised last winter for the first time in 20 years. Among other changes, they now specify that only an armorer can hand a weapon to an actor.

On "Rust," prosecutors said Baldwin was handed the gun by the film's first assistant director, who later pled guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.

California will also require productions seeking state tax credits to hire a security advisor. The trial measure will be applied from next year, through 2030.

- 'Overcorrection' -

Nonetheless, some productions have decided to give up on real firearms altogether.

"Walker," a recent reboot of popular 1990s TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger," and cop show "The Rookie" both used only "compressed air" guns or rubber weapons.

Action superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced that his production company would no longer use real guns.

Instead of shooting blank bullets on set, the flash and bang of gunshots would be added later using computer effects.

The extent of these changes felt across the industry is difficult to quantify.

A major Hollywood prop maker, asked by AFP to confirm reports of a significant drop in gun rentals, declined to comment.

"There was a severe overcorrection, that didn't need to be made in the way that it was," said Merrick.

As an armorer with three decades of experience, Merrick believes that real guns -- when used safely -- give both actors and audiences an unrivalled sense of "authentic action."

For example, he said it is impossible for performers using rubber guns to accurately emulate the recoil of a gunshot.

Compressed air guns -- or "airsoft guns," which do not fire metal bullets -- create a "false sense of security," but could theoretically be lethal if used incorrectly, he added.

Yet with Baldwin's trial about to begin, Merrick fears the mistrust of firearms on movie sets could be about to grow further.

"It's going to have an odd effect on performers if he's convicted," said Leilani Barrett, an actor attending the course.

"As an actor, I'm thinking about hitting my mark, memorizing my lines, doing my character, following directions.

"The last thing I want to really worry about is the prop that I'm using."