In a recent turn of events in the Rust saga, the script supervisor is filing a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin, alleging that there was nothing in the script that would require the actor to fire his gun.
Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell‘s lawsuit against Alec Baldwin is the second to arise from the tragic on-set incident in which Baldwin fired a prop gun that injured Rust director Joel Souza and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The first lawsuit came from the head of lighting, Serge Svetnoy, which alleged negligence.
“There was nothing in the script about the gun being discharged by defendant Baldwin or by any other person,” Mitchell’s lawsuit reads, per the ABC.
The lawsuit alleges Rust‘s script, three close-up shots of Baldwin were to be made: one of his blood-soaked shoulder, one of his gun holster as he slowly pulled the weapon out, and one of his eyes.
Mitchell claims that at no point was it necessary for Baldwin to be pointing the weapon in the direction of any Rust crew members, nor was there any script direction to pull the trigger.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and compensation for “serious physical trauma and shock and injury to her nervous system”.
“I’ll never forget what happened on the set of Rust that day. I relive the shooting and the sound of the explosion from the gun over and over again,” Mitchell said in a press conference.
“I’m depressed and I don’t feel safe. I feel like at any moment, anything could happen to me and to those that I care about that are standing close to me.”
The lawsuit and its claims come only a few weeks after a crew member on the set of Rust was bitten by a brown recluse spider, one of only three spiders in North America to carry life-threatening venom.
Lamp operator and pipe rigger Jason Miller was immediately hospitalised after being bitten, and was diagnosed with necrosis and sepsis, leaving his arm completely dead, and his body experiencing other complications while trying to fight the toxic infection.
Hang tight, for there’ll surely be more developments in the contstantly evolving story emerging from the set of Rust.
