Alec Baldwin is revisiting one of the darkest chapters of his life.
The actor opens up about the tragic “Rust” shooting and its aftermath in the upcoming documentary “The Trial of Alec Baldwin,” directed by Rory Kennedy.
The film examines the 2021 incident on the set of the Western film that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured.
The Trailer Was Just Released
A new trailer for the documentary, which PEOPLE exclusively premiered, gives viewers a look at the former TLC star’s emotional response to Hutchins’ death and the intense scrutiny that followed.
“When they told me she died, I — I was in shock,” Baldwin, 68, says in the trailer. “I was in disbelief.”
The trailer opens with the 911 call reporting the shooting before showing emotional images of Baldwin on the “Rust” set in the immediate aftermath.
From there, the documentary explores the questions surrounding how a live round ended up in a prop gun that was being used during filming.
The shooting quickly became a major national story, with Baldwin facing intense attention from the media and paparazzi.
One moment featured in the trailer shows photographers confronting the actor as he tries to deal with the tragedy.
“Alec, you killed someone by accident. How do you feel?” someone can be heard asking Baldwin.
The actor visibly struggles with the attention and asks the photographers to back away.
Behind the headlines, Baldwin was also dealing with the loss of Hutchins. The documentary explores his grief and the impact her death had on him.
“If you said to me, ‘Hike up Mount Everest and she’ll come back,’ I’d be packed and ready to go,” Baldwin says.
The film also examines how Baldwin’s public reputation affected the coverage surrounding the shooting and the criminal case that followed.
The documentary describes him as “talented and adored, yet also flawed, politically outspoken and prone to explosions of anger,” while examining how those characteristics shaped the public conversation.
Baldwin’s Case Was Dismissed
The legal fallout lasted for years. In early 2023, Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins’ death.
Gutierrez-Reed was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Baldwin’s criminal case took a different path.
In July 2024, a judge permanently dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin after his attorneys argued that prosecutors and police had withheld evidence from his defense team.
The dismissal came during his trial, bringing the criminal proceedings against him to an end.
The documentary now offers Baldwin an opportunity to reflect on everything that happened, from the moments immediately after the shooting through the years of legal battles and public scrutiny.
While the “Rust” tragedy has remained a defining part of Baldwin’s recent public life, the film appears to focus not only on the legal questions but also on the personal toll of Hutchins’ death.
Baldwin acknowledges that viewers will see an unfiltered side of him throughout the documentary.
“People who watch this will see so much of me at my worst,” Baldwin says.
