Nicolas Cage is weighing in on the fatal "Rust" shooting, saying that it is vital for movie stars to know the proper procedures and protocols for using guns on set.
Speaking with fellow actors Andrew Garfield, Simon Rex, Jonathan Majors, and Peter Dinklage for The Hollywood Reporter's roundtable, the "Con Air" star stressed that while he did not want to "cast blame anywhere" it was important for people starring in films to possess certain skills — like handling a gun.
"You need to know how to fight. You're going to do fight scenes. You need to know how to ride a motorcycle," he explained, according to Fox News. "You need to know how to use a stick shift and drive sports cars, and you do need to know how to use a gun. You do. You need to take the time to know what the procedure is. Those are part of the job profiles."
Dozens of prominent Hollywood figures have spoken out against the use of live guns on film sets following the "Rust" shooting in October last year. During the incident, the gun that Alec Baldwin was holding discharged, shooting and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Commenting on the topic, Dinklage told Cage he believed change was needed.
"It can be avoided because look at what you can do with movies," Dinklage explained "You know that also calls into question, are there too many guns in movies? We've all held guns in movies, probably, and I always think about that being anti-gun myself, but the character isn't. That's a very complicated thing. But that made it very clear that there has to be change, like, now. One hundred percent."
Over the weekend, Baldwin addressed the shooting incident, saying that it was "the worst situation" he has been involved in. The comments were made in a lengthy Instagram video in which Baldwin reflected on the past few months as well as the year ahead.
"I've had more people who have been kind and thoughtful and generous of spirit than I've had people who are malignant about the death Halyna Hutchins," Baldwin said, according to People. "I'm not afraid to say that, and to couch that in some euphemisms — somebody died very tragically. And I've gotten so much, I mean so much, goodwill from people. It's just incredible."
Baldwin then added, "This has been surely the worst situation I've ever been involved with, and I'm very hopeful that the people in charge with investigating this whole thing get to the truth as soon as possible. No one wants the truth more than I do."
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.
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