Alec Baldwin Weighs Retirement in Aftermath of Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting: ‘I Don’t Want to Work Anymore’

Five years following the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, actor Alec Baldwin hopes to live a quieter life with his family, as he continues to process the aftermath of the tragedy.

In an interview on “The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter” podcast on April 13, the 68-year-old gave a glimpse into the emotional impact of the incident and his plans for the future of his career.

Baldwin expressed his desire to retire from the entertainment business, while focusing on his wife Hilaria Baldwin, their seven young children, and his adult daughter, Ireland, 30, whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Basinger.

“I don’t want to work anymore,” he told host Scott Feinberg. “I don’t. I really don’t. I want to retire and stay home with my kids.”

The October 2021 incident occurred during filming for the Western “Rust,” when Baldwin, who was holding a Colt .45, was preparing for a scene in the film. The gun discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza in the process.

“For me, because of the situation in New Mexico, that was very painful,” Baldwin said. “I wound up staying home a lot. I was home with my kids for three and a half years.”

He was indicted in 2023 on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent use of a firearm, pleading not guilty before the charges were dropped.

In 2024, he was hit with the same charges, but the case against him was dismissed, with the judge citing the prosecution’s failure to provide crucial evidence at the time.

“I hardly worked at all,” he added. “That’s just changing now, I’m going to go off and do a bunch of things, but I was home and I got used to it, and I don’t want to leave my house anymore.”

“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 after prosecutors argued her overall lack of experience, among other failures, led to the tragedy. She was released from prison last year, after serving 18 months behind bars.

The “30 Rock” star spoke about the mental and physical toll the incident has taken on his health, while battling legal matters, public debate, and a documentary that followed his life and the trial firsthand.

“It impacted me in every way—financially, career-wise, my wife, my kids, my health,” he told Feinberg. “I was so sick. I mean, we had to go back and finish the movie ‘Rust’ in Montana as a component of the settlement with her [Hutchins] husband. We had to finish.”

Baldwin noted he wasn’t exactly pleased with the Rory Kennedy-directed documentary titled: “The Trial of Alec Baldwin,” and highlighted the lack of attention given to other parties involved in the tragedy.

“When somebody makes a movie about you, you’re never going to be happy. You’re going to have a lot of notes,” he added. “They never tried to find the other people who were responsible for what happened, who brought the bullets onto the set.”

“You never hear about that. They don’t pursue the case. They don’t do anything. They tried to get me, and they didn’t get me, and they cheated and broke the law to get me, and it’s just been tough.”