Rust Actors Who Did — And Didn’t — Appear in Hulu Doc About Shooting

Hulu’s new Rust documentary interviewed several actors who worked on the movie the day of the shooting — but not every cast member spoke out about Halyna Hutchins‘ death.

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna, which premiered on Tuesday, March 11, featured first-hand accounts from several stars of the movie, including Josh Hopkins and Devon Werkheiser. Director Joel Souza appeared in the doc as well after getting injured on set.

The Western film is set in Kansas during the 1880s, where an aging outlaw comes out of hiding to rescue his nephew, who is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. The duo become fugitives who are determined to outrun a vicious bounty hunter.

Filming on Rust began in October 2021, at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Production was suspended that same month when Hutchins was fatally shot from a prop gun fired by Rust star — and producer — Alec Baldwin while they were in preparation for a scene. Souza was injured by the same round.

Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 and he has continued to deny pulling the trigger on the gun. Baldwin pleaded not guilty, and the charges were dropped in April 2023, but he was indicted again in connection with the death of Hutchins. The second case was ultimately dismissed by the judge and Baldwin has since filed a lawsuit accusing the prosecution team of malicious prosecution and civil rights violations.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter but not guilty of the additional charge of tampering with evidence. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison while Rust first assistant director David Halls pled guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, and received a suspended sentence and six months of probation. (Halls pleaded no contest in March 2023 to an additional misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, for which he received a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine and 24 hours of community service.)

Halls participated in Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna along with other crew members who shed light on the challenges that plagued the Rust set. The A-camera first assistant Lane Luper, who quit before the Rust shooting took place, recalled three “negligent discharges” taking place in the weeks before Hutchins’ death.

In February 2022, the Hutchins family filed a lawsuit against Rust productions and other responsible parties including Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. After extended negotiations, the parties reached a confidential settlement that provided for Rust to be completed. Production resumed in April 2023 and concluded the next month.

“I can never be around a weapon that will fire again — in any circumstance. I don’t want to be around it and I want nothing to do with it. I can’t be near it,” Souza mentioned in Hulu’s doc. “There will be nothing that is capable of any discharge — you may as well be holding a paperweight.”

Andy Wert, who was brought in to replace Gutierrez-Reed, addressed his decision to join the production, saying, “I got the call and I thought someone has to do it and it might as well be me. Whenever you are on a film set, they are all treated like real weapons. That way everyone has a heightened sense of safety. I wanted to do it because of Halyna and so this gets done safely so everyone is comfortable. That is what the goal is and everyone goes home.”

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of which actors took part — and which didn’t — in Hulu’s doc about the Rust shooting and aftermath:

Alec Baldwin

Baldwin’s perspective was featured in the documentary through footage from his trial, body cam videos from the day of Hutchins’ death and audio provided during an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) investigation.

While Baldwin didn’t speak out in the doc, he did return to finish filming Rust. He also elaborated on the incident in his TLC reality series with wife Hilaria Baldwin.

“This has been just surreal,” Alec told Hilaria during the season 1 premiere, which aired in February. “I can’t even believe that we’re going through this, and I always feel more in pain about you than I do. I think to myself that I’m going to try to my best to just get through it, and I think about what it’s done to you and how much it’s hurt you and everything.”

Alec elaborated in a confessional, saying, “This past year was just terrible. There were times I’d lay in bed. I’d go, ‘Wow, my kids. I can’t get up.’ That’s not like me. I’m not like that at all, not in any way am I like that. Never.”

Frances Fisher

“My first day [on set], this girl [Hannah] comes over and interrupts our conversation. She has an arm full of guns — she just barreled her way in — and I thought that was so unsafe to be walking around with a bunch of guns in your hand,” Fisher recalled in the Hulu doc. “Alec seemed a little [confused] as well and then I found out she was the armorer.”

Later in the special, Fisher said it felt “a little emotional” to return. “I wish I said something to [Halyna] and Alec [at the time],” she noted about the interaction. Fisher admitted she “didn’t want to make waves” but also wasn’t sure her speaking out would have “changed anything.”

Travis Fimmel

Fimmel was cast as bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang when Rust originally went into production. He wasn’t featured in Hulu’s doc and hasn’t previously spoken out about the shooting. Multiple publications name Fimmel as one of the cast members who returned to finish filming the movie.

Jensen Ackles

The role of Sheriff Wood Helm was originally played by Ackles but he was ultimately replaced by Josh Hopkins after the delayed production caused scheduling conflicts. Ackles didn’t appear in the doc but he issued a statement after Hutchins’ death.

“This has been a tragedy of epic proportions that we are all still processing,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Earlier last week I felt compelled to tell Halyna just how awesome I thought she was. I told her how incredible I thought her camera shots were and just how exciting it was to watch her and her team work. Truly. She laughed and said thank you and gave me a hug. I’ll forever be thankful we had that moment. She had a spunk and passion that infected the entire crew from the top down.”

He continued: “She was an inspiration. My heart and prayers go out to Halyna’s husband, son and the rest of her family. There just aren’t enough words to express what an immense loss this is. She will be incredibly missed by all of us who knew and admired her.”

Josh Hopkins

Hopkins was seemingly cast in a different role on Rust before taking over as Wood Helm after Ackles’ exit.

“They said, ‘[Halyna’s husband] Matt [Hutchins] wants it done.’ I am not coming back for anything until I hear it from his mouth. And they put me on a Zoom with him and he said he wanted it finished and she would want it finished and for people to see her work,” Hopkins explained in the doc. “I am glad there is a different ending for the experience but this experience will never be over for anyone associated with it.”

Earlier in the doc, Hopkins slammed those who criticized their decision to finish Rust. “But the internet is going to [the] internet because it is the land of cowards and that can be enraging,” he noted. “They don’t know anything about a movie set or the hearts of the people involved.”

Devon Werkheiser

The Nickelodeon star played Boone LaFontaine before — and after — the shooting halted production.

“On a set where we are shooting guns every day, the danger of that is horrifying. I could have been the person who shot someone or I could have been the person that was shot,” Werkheiser shared, while admitting it was “painful” watching Gutierrez-Reed go through the trial.

“Coming back and picking up where we left off, it felt like being alone in a sea of people. I guess that is how trauma and grief goes,” Werkheiser said in the doc. “Finishing this movie feels like some step toward healing.”

Jake Busey

Busey portrayed Drum Parker but didn’t appear in the doc.

“We finished Rust at the end of May, in Montana. The experience was amazing and I can’t wait to see the film, as a lot of emotions went into this one. I didn’t know Halyna but I know a lot of her friends, and this film was finished with the utmost effort to pay homage and respect to her while exhibiting and sharing her last work with the world,” he wrote via Instagram in 2024. “She was an amazing woman from those I’ve spoken to. I’m so sorry to have not met her and though it is tragic, her memory is forever preserved in this film. We finished it in her honor. In somber mind, with loving hearts. It was a close and dedicated crew.”

Patrick Scott McDermott and Brady Noon

Noon was originally cast as Lucas but his other commitments made him unavailable when production picked back up. He was replaced in the role by McDermott and neither appeared in Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna.