Ex-Rust crew member ‘never felt as close to death’ on a set as he did in days before Halyna Hutchins shooting
A former crew member on the film Rust said he “never felt as close to death” on a set as he did in the days before Halyna Hutchins was killed.
Lane Luper was the lead camera operator for the production but resigned the day before his friend and cinematographer Ms Hutchins was shot dead with a live bullet, fired by the film’s star actor, Alec Baldwin.
In his resignation letter to a production manager, seen by Sky News, Mr Luper highlights concerns about the safety and welfare of crew as the reason for him walking away.
In the email, sent to unit production manager Row Walters, Mr Luper noted two accidental discharges of firearms and one accidental discharge of special effects explosives in the days before Ms Hutchins was killed during rehearsal for a scene.
Ms Hutchins was shot dead with a live bullet fired by Alec Baldwin. Pic: Swen Studios
He wrote: “During the filming of gunfights on this job things are often played very fast and loose.
“So far there have been two accidental weapons discharges and one additional SFX explosives that have gone off around the crew between takes.
“To be clear there are NO safety meetings these days. There have been NO explanations as to what to expect for these shots.”
Mr Luper said he is speaking out now because he wants to make clear that Ms Hutchins’s death, in his opinion, was caused by cutting costs and cutting corners.
Baldwin is the only person involved with the production to speak publicly about Ms Hutchins’s death
“Halyna’s death was so preventable by simply following industry safety rules that had been in place for literally decades,” he told Sky News.
“I have never felt more unsafe on set or off set. I’ve never felt I was more in danger of dying on the set or on the drive home, I was so exhausted.”
Mr Luper said that the production team on the independent film put potential profit first, at the expense of safety and welfare of the crew.
“The crew themselves worked very hard but I don’t think they were necessarily respected by the producers,” Mr Luper said.
“This set was unsafe simply because they didn’t have the wherewithal to follow safety rules that we have in this industry.”
There are six producers credited for Rust, which is an independent production. They are Ryan Smith, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano, Anjul Nigam and Baldwin.
Lane Luper (right) said the death of Ms Hutchins (left) was ‘so preventable’
Hollywood veteran Baldwin is the only one to speak publicly about Ms Hutchins’s death, after he was tracked down by photographers in a mountain town in Vermont, where he owns a holiday home.
He described what he said was a “well oiled” crew on set but Mr Luper disputes that view.
“Would I say the whole thing was well-oiled? Absolutely not,” Mr Luper said.
“We didn’t know what was going on at the time. There were no rehearsals, there were no safety meetings to explain what the next shot was, which is also a requirement of every time you use firearms.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Rust producers said: “Mr Luper’s allegations around budget and safety are patently false, which is not surprising considering his job was to be a camera operator, and he had absolutely nothing to do with it or knowledge of safety protocols or budgets.
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‘She was my friend’, Baldwin says
“As we continue to cooperate with all investigations, we are limited in what we can say.
“However, safety is always the number one priority in our films, and it is truly awful to see someone using this tragedy for personal gain.”
Sky News has also seen a resignation letter sent by another crew member, who quit the film, citing what he said was a disregard for safety around firearms by the film’s assistant director Dave Halls.
“I also feel anxious on set,” he wrote in an email to a production manager.
“I’ve seen first-hand our AD rush to get shots and he skips over important protocols.
“I have tinnitus in my right ear and he often rushes to shoot, I’ve had more than a few occasions where I have been close to the weapons being fired with no regards to my hearing.
“Sometimes he rushes so quickly that props hasn’t even had the chance to bring earplugs and he rolls and the actors fire anyway.
“I feel torn because I like the show and my team but for many reasons I have to walk away for my own health and safety.”
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‘There was complacency on this set’
Sky News has approached Mr Halls and his lawyer for comment but has not yet received a response.
The police investigation into Ms Hutchins’s death is ongoing and one of the central questions they are considering is why exactly live ammunition found its way on to a film set.
Douglas Stewart (right) on set with Francis Fisher
It is bemusing to Douglas Stewart, one of the actors on Rust. He had a positive experience filming.
He was not on set at the time of Ms Hutchins’s death but is now joining calls for real guns to be banned on films.
“For there to be a live round in a gun handed to an actor is unconscionable and unbelievable,” he said.
The police investigation into Ms Hutchins’s death is ongoing
“Everybody in my acting community, we were stunned. We just couldn’t believe it happened and still can’t.”
Those who worked with Ms Hutchins believe she would have become one of Hollywood’s leading cinematographers.
They now hope her legacy can be that of safer sets for cast and crew, which means a tragedy like this cannot happen again.
US
Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff – while warning of blanket hike for other countries
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
Mr Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries so far, including one putting a 50% tariff on Brazil in part for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after he lost the election in 2022.
Mr Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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But in an interview with Sky News’s partner network NBC News, Mr Trump said he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most US trade partners.
“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
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The US president also teased a “major statement” he will make on Russia over its war with Ukraine.
“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”
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It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Sky News’s lead world presenter Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
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‘Absolutely absurd allegations’
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Mr Trump promised the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau a pivot from aid to trade at the surprise meeting.
He described the countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.
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