Pollyanna McIntosh Mourns Darlin' DP Halyna Hutchins After Accident on Alec Baldwin's Rust Set

Darlin' director Pollyanna McIntosh mourns her director of photography Halyna Hutchins, who died Thursday after actor-producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun in an incident on the set of Hutchins' new movie Rust. The 42-year-old DP and Rust writer-director Joel Souza were "shot when a prop firearm was discharged" by Baldwin on the western movie's set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to an October 21 release from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office. A helicopter transported Hutchins to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she died. A Friday memo from worker union IATSE Local 44 described the fatal shooting as an "accidental weapons discharge" in which "a live single round was accidentally fired on set" by Baldwin.

"I love you lass. The most talented, in the trenches, committed, wonderful artist and teammate," Darlin' writer-director McIntosh wrote of Hutchins in a tribute posted to Instagram. "I haven't got all the words yet at the loss of Halyna but to everyone who knew her I send huge love and peace and I'm here to talk if you wanna."

"Have been talking to the Darlin' cast and crew this morning. We were so lucky to have her as cinematographer on Darlin'," added the filmmaker of the "social issue horror film" that starred Lauryn Canny, Bryan Batt, Nora-Jane Noone, and McIntosh's former Walking Dead co-star Cooper Andrews. "We'll all miss you. You were going to keep making amazing films. Much love to her family. I'm so sorry for their loss."

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McIntosh added: "And of course I'm angry. This has to stop happening on set. My thoughts are with the whole crew and cast of her current project too."

Andrews, who played Nurse Tony in Darlin', wrote on Instagram of Hutchins: "I'll always look fondly at our time filming Darlin' and feel truly honored for the experience."

"Halyna's passion and love for film was something to be inspired by and aspire to," Andrews wrote. "Halyna should still be here. This should not have happened."

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American Cinematographer named Hutchins a "rising star" in 2019, the same year Darlin' premiered at SXSW. Earlier this year, Hutchins shared stills from Darlin' to Instagram with the hashtags "#womeninmedia" and "#thewalkingdeadfamily" as the film also featured McIntosh and Andrews' former The Walking Dead co-stars Sabrina Gennarino and Thomas Francis Murphy. 

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Hutchins went on to photograph independent superhero movie Archenemy and is remembered by star Joe Manganiello and director Adam Egypt Mortimer as "an absolutely incredible talent and a great person."

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"She had such an eye and a visual style, she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to see what she could pull off next. She was a fantastic person," Manganiello wrote on Instagram. "There was no amount of pressure she couldn't handle. She was a great collaborator and an ally to anyone in front of her camera. Everyone who knew her was rooting for her." 

Mortimer in a tweet called Hutchins a "brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film." See other tributes to Hutchins below.