• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Alec Baldwin’s Code Red

At the dawn of the ‘Rust’ trial, the star actor is fighting a prosecutor’s gambit to connect a frenzied set with the shocking fatality. And yet, while Baldwin’s trial may be an engrossing televised event, it’s likely a cautionary tale rather than a catalyst for change in Hollywood.

alec baldwin
The prosecution argues that Baldwin acted recklessly, fully aware that he was handling a real weapon yet eschewing essential safety protocols, including the risk of live and dummy rounds being mixed together. Photo: Ross D. Franklin - Pool/Getty Images
Eriq Gardner
July 9, 2024

It’s been nearly three years since the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film Rust, where a Colt .45 held by Alec Baldwin ended the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The ensuing criminal case has been rife with twists, starting with Baldwin’s perplexing interview with George Stephanopolous where he claimed to have not pulled the trigger. The charges of involuntary manslaughter were filed, then dropped amid a report of a modified gun, only to be surprisingly refiled earlier this year by an ambitious new prosecutor. With the trial finally kicking off in Santa Fe this week, the question facing the jury is straightforward: Did Baldwin fail to exercise due care by not checking the firearm for live rounds?