In his first formal interview since the fatal shooting on his film “Rust,” Alec Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed in the incident, was “beloved” by those who worked with her.

What You Need To Know

  • In his first formal interview since the fatal shooting on his film “Rust,” Alec Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he "didn't pull the trigger" on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

  • In a clip from the interview, Baldwin said that Hutchins was "someone who was beloved by everyone who worked with, and liked by everyone who worked with, and admired" before appearing to break down

  • In October, Baldwin discharged a revolver being used as a prop during a rehearsal on the film, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza

  • Investigators said Baldwin was told that it was a “cold gun,” meaning it did not contain live rounds; an investigation into the incident is ongoing

“She was someone who was beloved by everyone who worked with, and liked by everyone who worked with, and admired,” Baldwin said in a clip from the interview, before appearing to break down in tears.

The exclusive interview, which took place Tuesday, marks the first time Baldwin is speaking at length about the incident. 

“Even now, I find it hard to believe that,” Baldwin said in the clip. “It just doesn’t seem real to me.”

In October, Baldwin discharged a revolver being used as a prop during a rehearsal on the film, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza. Doctors later removed a projectile from Souza’s shoulder.

Investigators said Baldwin was told that it was a “cold gun,” meaning it did not contain live rounds.

In the interview clip released by ABC on Wednesday, Baldwin claims that he never pulled the trigger on the gun.

“The trigger wasn’t pulled,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t pull the trigger.”

“So you never pulled the trigger?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“No, no, no, no no,” he replied. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never.”

Investigators believe the gun fired a single live round.

“How did a real bullet get on that set?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“I have no idea,” Baldwin replied. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”

When asked if it was the worst thing to ever happen to him, Baldwin did not mince words: “Yes.”

“Because I … I think back, and I think of ‘what could I have done?’” he replied.

Stephanopoulos said on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that the discussion was “raw” and “intense.”

“I’ve done thousands of interviews in the last twenty years at ABC,” the veteran anchor said. “This was the most intense I’ve ever experienced.”

Stephanopoulos described the actor as “devastated” but “also very candid” and “forthcoming” about the incident.

The full interview will air in primetime on ABC on Thursday.

Baldwin previously spoke out about the incident in October, in a brief, impromptu interview with photographers on a roadside in Vermont.

“She was my friend," Baldwin said at the time. “We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.”

Baldwin, joined by his wife Hilaria, called the shooting a “one-in-a-trillion event” in the impromptu interview.

The incident, which is still under investigation, led to widespread calls for better safety practices on films and calls to ban the use of real weapons on film sets. Prominent actor Dwayne Johnson pledged last month that his production company will no longer use real guns on his films.

“We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post,” Johnson said at the time. “We’re not going to worry about the dollars, we won’t worry about what it costs.”

Baldwin said last month that film and television productions should employ police officers, writing on social media: “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police office on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.”

Investigators have described “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on the “Rust” set. They have said it is too soon to determine whether charges will be filed, amid independent civil lawsuits concerning liability in the fatal shooting.

Authorities pursued new leads Tuesday on possible sources of live ammunition involved in actor Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of a western movie, as they searched the premises of an Albuquerque-based firearms and ammunition supplier.

The search took place after a provider of firearms and ammunition to the ill fated movie production for “Rust” told investigators that he “may know” where live rounds came from, describing ammunition he received from a friend in the past that had been “reloaded” by assembly from parts.

Seth Kenney and his business PDQ Arm & Prop provided movie-prop ammunition and weapons to the “Rust” production. Kenney told a detective on Oct. 29 that “a couple years back, he received ‘reloaded ammunition’ from a friend,” and that the ammunition stood out in his memory because of a star-shaped company logo, according to an affidavit from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office that is leading the investigation.

Tuesday’s search warrant affidavit contains some new details about the handling and loading of the gun that killed Hutchins before it was handed to Baldwin by an assistant director. 

Investigators say that the armorer on the film, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, loaded the gun with five dummy rounds on Oct. 21, but struggled to add a sixth round before a lunch break, when the revolver was locked in a truck. The final round was added after lunch when the gun was cleaned.

Gutierrez Reed “stated the guns were checked on set, however she ‘didn’t really check it too much’ (the firearm), due to it being locked up at lunch,” according to the new affidavit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.