The mother of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is blasting film producer Alec Baldwin, saying that he has refused to “take responsibility” or apologize for his role in her daughter’s on-set death.
Olga Solovey said Tuesday that she won’t be attending the premiere of the film Wednesday because Baldwin “continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.”
“Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter,” she said in a statement to E! News. “That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”
Solovey has retained famed lawyer Gloria Allred, who told E! News in a separate statement Tuesday that as a producer on the film, Baldwin — whose manslaughter charge was dismissed in July — “disrespected” Hutchins’ family by organizing the premiere.
“Further, the decision not to even call the family to say he is sorry is cruel,” she continued.
Baldwin’s representatives did not reply to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The film is premiering at the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Film Festival in Poland, which focuses on the work of cinematographers like Hutchins. Festival director Kazimierz Suwała acknowledged to The Hollywood Reporter last week that the decision to screen “Rust” was polarizing, but said “the motivation was very simple,” as Hutchins “had a strong connection” to the festival.
Suwała also noted that festival organizers “didn’t invite Alec Baldwin” and “never considered doing so,” as it would be “too distracting” and take away from the film and Hutchins’ work on it.
Hutchins was killed in October 2021 after a prop gun Baldwin was using on the set of “Rust” discharged a live round. The actor, who has maintained his innocence and denied pulling the trigger, was charged in January 2023 with involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin was charged in January 2023 with involuntary manslaughter, but the charge was dropped in March after his attorneys successfully argued that the prosecution had charged him under a firearm-enhancement statute that was not in place at the time of Hutchins’ death.
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A second case was brought against Baldwin in January 2024, but the involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed once more, mere days into his trial in July, after the defense presented a motion accusing prosecutors of withholding evidence. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer reportedly dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning New Mexico State is barred from presenting a new trial in the matter.
Hutchins’ parents and sister — who works as a nurse on the outskirts of Kyiv and is married to a Ukrainian man fighting the Russian invasion — sued Baldwin last year for negligence and the deprivation of benefits. The Ukrainian cinematographer, who died at age 42, is also survived by her husband Matthew and their son.