The cast and crew of Rust have responded to the “public narrative” surrounding the shooting death of the film’s cinematographer in a new letter, describing a positive morale and rejecting descriptions of an unsafe environment on the New Mexico set.
The letter (below), which was shared by Rust producer and star Alec Baldwin on Instagram and confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by a crew member on Thursday, described the set as “professional” and refuted reports of a “chaotic, dangerous and exploitative” workplace.
The group of producers have come under fire since the Oct. 21 tragedy, including in a report by THR, for being allegedly inexperienced and running an unsafe set while filming the Western at Bonanza Creek Ranch.
“We do acknowledge that no set is perfect, and like any production, Rust had areas of brilliance and areas that were more challenged,” read the joint statement. “While we stand firmly with our unions and strongly support the fight for better working conditions across our industry, we do not feel that this set was a representation of the kind of conditions our unions are fighting against.”
