"Rust" director Joel Souza is speaking candidly about Alec Baldwin's recent reality show about the Baldwin family.
In an interview with The Guardian, the filmmaker admitted he had not seen the show, adding, "I think I was busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan that night."
Filming for "The Baldwins" took place amid Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, which ended with a motion to dismiss.
During his interview, Souza also spoke about returning to finish "Rust," saying that initially he found the idea of picking up where he left off after the tragic on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and left him injured unbearable.
However, as time passed, the idea of someone else completing the project did not sit well with him. Now, over three years later, the film is set to hit theaters on Friday.
"I'd been repelled by the thought of going back, but now it started to appeal," he told The Guardian. "And I couldn't live with the idea of someone else doing it."
Hutchins' family wanted to honor her by having the film with her final work completed, so Souza said he agreed — but it was not easy.
"I was a mess going in and a mess coming out. The crew carried me through. My family carried me through. Emotionally, I was all over the map," he said.
Commenting on the events that led up to the accidental on-set shooting, Souza said that "bad decision after bad decision was made."
"I wish I never wrote the damn movie," he added.
The completion of Rust was carried out with cinematographer Bianca Cline, but Souza ensured that Hutchins was honored by listing her name second in the credits — immediately after his — which is an uncommon spot for a director of photography. From the beginning, Souza had emphasized his desire to work with a female cinematographer, a choice he maintained even after the tragic incident, according to Variety.
"Women can't shoot Westerns.' And I thought, [expletive] you. I'm going to stick that up your [expletive] and only look at women."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.