Angelina Jolie Speaks Out About On-Set Gun Safety After Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' Shooting
02:11 GMT 05.11.2021 (Updated: 13:25 GMT 06.08.2022)
© AP Photo / Domenico StinellisActress Angelina Jolie poses during the photo call for the European premiere of the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in Rome, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019
![Actress Angelina Jolie poses during the photo call for the European premiere of the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in Rome, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 Actress Angelina Jolie poses during the photo call for the European premiere of the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in Rome, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.11.2021](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/06/15/1083196878_0:0:1954:1100_1920x0_80_0_0_621a048121b5ed030efa4a48aab653a5.jpg)
© AP Photo / Domenico Stinellis
Subscribe
Angelina Jolie is no stranger to firearms, as the award-winning actress has fired several prop weapons throughout her career, which has included work in action films like "Salt," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." She also claimed at one point that she and then-beau Brad Pitt were proud gun owners and kept one for home safety.
In a new interview with The Times, Jolie weighed in on fellow actor Alec Baldwin's recent prop gun shooting that killed "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured the director.
"I can't imagine what these families are going through," Jolie told the UK outlet. "At this moment, the grief and the tragedy of that accident is quite overwhelming."
She spoke about her experience working with prop weapons, noting that "certain procedures" have to be taken "very seriously," particularly by those in production and hiring roles.
"I've always been very careful because I've had to work with guns a lot," the 46-year-old actress said. "The way I've worked or checked when I'm directing, there are certain procedures. You have to take it very seriously."
In addition to being the star of "Rust," Baldwin is also a producer of the film.
"We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened," Baldwin stated in an interview last week.
© YouTube/FilmIsNow Movie Bloopers & ExtrasActress Angelina Jolie holds a rifle during filming for a featurette on "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life." The 2003 film came as the sequel to "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) and was directed by Jan de Bont.
![Actress Angelina Jolie holds a rifle during filming for a featurette on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life. The 2003 film came as the sequel to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and was directed by Jan de Bont. Actress Angelina Jolie holds a rifle during filming for a featurette on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life. The 2003 film came as the sequel to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and was directed by Jan de Bont. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.11.2021](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/0b/05/1090486882_0:0:1304:832_1920x0_80_0_0_e2187bc829bb779c84d953f209a53b2e.png)
Actress Angelina Jolie holds a rifle during filming for a featurette on "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life." The 2003 film came as the sequel to "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) and was directed by Jan de Bont.
As for her firearms off-set, the actress in 2008 divulged that she got some inspiration from the "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" movies.
"I bought original, real guns of the type we used in 'Tomb Raider' for security," she told the Mail on Sunday at the time.
"Brad [Pitt] and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one. And yes, I'd be able to use it if I had to," she said at the time. The two actors were not married at the time of the interview.
"If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I've no problem shooting them."
Jolie is not the only actor speaking out in the wake of Baldwin's on-set tragedy. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson told Variety that his company, Seven Bucks Productions, will be making a "switch over to rubber guns."
.@TheRock pledges to end the use of real guns on all Seven Bucks Productions sets, following the death of Halyna Hutchins: "We're going to switch over to rubber guns. We're going to take care of it in post. We're not going to worry about the dollars." https://t.co/M232HP48fJ pic.twitter.com/owKGyg18m0
— Variety (@Variety) November 4, 2021
"I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without an absence of clarity here, that any movie that we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions — any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce — we won’t use real guns at all," the 49-year-old actor told the outlet during the premiere for his Netflix film "Red Notice."
Johnson added that he was "heartbroken" by the events.