The 66-year-old actor’s wife shared that his OCD and mental health worsened after the tragic incident on the sets of Rust.
Alec Baldwin accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins in 2021. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
In 2021, actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the sets of the movie Rust. The prop gun did not just misfire on Hutchins but also wounded director Joel Souza. Three years after the fatal on-set incident, the 66-year-old American actor opened up about his struggles for the first time. In the premiere episode of his family’s new reality TV show, The Baldwins, which is set to air on TLC, Alec and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, reflected on the “darkest moments” after the incident that changed their lives forever.
In a confessional, the Beetlejuice actor said, “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.” His wife, Hilaria, revealed that Alec’s mental health declined noticeably after the tragic incident and shared that his OCD worsened as well. “He was diagnosed with PTSD, and he says in his darkest moments, ‘If an accident had to have happened this day, why am I still here? Why couldn’t it have been me?’” said Hilaria.
Alec was charged with involuntary manslaughter, to which he pleaded not guilty, saying that he did not fire the gun nor did he know that it was loaded with real ammunition rather than dummy rounds. After a lengthy trial, the case was dismissed in 2024. In the episode, the 66-year-old further acknowledged his struggles, recalling a conversation with a friend where he said, “I’m happier when I’m asleep than when I’m awake.”
During the episode, Alec also talked about the overwhelming grief that he has been carrying ever since the incident. “This has been just surreal. I mean, I can’t even believe that we’re going through this,” he admitted. He also reflected on how the tragedy had affected his wife, saying, “I always feel more in pain about you than me, because I think to myself, well, you know, I’m going to try to my best to just get through it, and I think what it’s done to you and how much it’s hurt you and everything.”
The couple also credited their seven children: daughters Ilaria Catalina Irena, María Lucía Victoria, Carmen Gabriela, and sons Eduardo Pao Lucas, Romeo Alejandro David, Leonardo Ángel Charles, and Rafael Thomas, for keeping them going.
