On Thursday, news broke that Alec Baldwin would be charged with involuntary manslaughter following the accidental but fatal shooting on the set of his movie, Rust, that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Now, Alec has shared his plans to appeal the charge, and industry experts are weighing in on what this could mean for his career.
This week, a New Mexico district attorney announced Alec's charge.
"After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew," said a statement from the DA released on Thursday.
The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and the first assistant director, David Halls, will also face similar charges for their alleged involvement in the shooting that took place when the gun Alec was holding went off during filming, killing Hutchins in the process.
Now, Alec's lawyer has responded.
In a statement issued later on Thursday, Alec's attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel, said that the decision to charge the actor "represents a terrible miscarriage of justice," reported Deadline.
"Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win," the statement asserted.
Experts believe this could land Alec on a Hollywood 'black list.'
PR expert Eric Schiffer of Reputation Management Consultants told Insider that it was a "bad day for Baldwin's brand."
"He is going to face justice for what should never have happened, and this is an incident that will cause him to be in this short term a future pariah in Hollywood," he said.
As the case continues to play out, Schiffer thinks some will refuse to work with Alec, landing him on a "rarely disclosed black list."
His career could bounce back, though.
Another PR expert, Eric Nierman, told Insider that the charges alone aren't enough to ruin Alec's career, but instead, whether or not he'll act again will be determined by the outcome of the case.
"Given his premier stature in Hollywood, Baldwin should be able to continue working in the short-term and very well could have plenty of opportunities down the road," he said.
Alec's wife, Hilaria Baldwin, has since been spotted out and about wearing a sweatshirt that seems to send a message.
Wearing a green sweatshirt emblazoned with the word "Empathy" on Friday morning, Hilaria seems to be communicating the way she wants the public to respond to the news of her husband's charges.
Whatever the future holds for the Baldwins, it sounds like it's going to be a rough ride in the months ahead.
