The tragic incident on the set of Rust shook the world, as the reports came out that the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured from a live round discharged from Alec Baldwin’s prop revolver. As legal proceedings unfold, the unsettling reality of real-life bullets on movie sets has taken a frightening form, especially when reflecting on Robert De Niro’s epic war drama The Deer Hunter.
One of the scenes in the movie features a horrifying game of Russian roulette. De Niro reportedly requested using a live round of bullets for the filming of this scene and surprisingly the production agreed to his demand.
Read More: Francis Ford Coppola Originally Rejected Robert De Niro For a Major Role in The Godfather
Robert De Niro Used Real Bullets in One of The Deer Hunter Scenes
Directed by Michael Cimino, the 1978 epic war drama The Deer Hunter follows three friends from a small industrial town who are profoundly affected by their experiences in the Vietnam War. One of the scenes features Mike (Robert De Niro) characters engaging in an impromptu game of Russian roulette with Stanley (John Cazale).
However, the filming of the sequence was as intense as the scene itself, as Robert De Niro suggested using real bullets in the filming of the scene. Director Michael Cimino recalled sharing the Oscar-winning actor’s suggestion with John Cazale in an interview.
“[I] go to John. I said, ‘John, I got a weird request from Bob—He’d like to put a live round in the gun,'” he recalled. The suggestion to use real bullets aimed to heighten the intensity of the scene and Cazale agreed to the condition.
“Okay, I can go along with that,” Cimino recalled The Godfather actor’s response. However, the actor was fully aware of the potential risks and reportedly took it upon himself to carefully check the gun before each take to ensure that the next chamber was devoid of live ammunition.
In light of Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting incident, this scene with real bullets now carries an even more unsettling resonance. As legal proceedings unfold, the actor has recently been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter in connection to the fatal shooting on the set of Rust.
Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter
According to The New York Times, a grand jury in New Mexico has indicted Alec Baldwin on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust over two years ago.
The latest development comes a year after the actor was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, which was later dismissed. A new prosecution team, including Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis, revisited the case and presented it to the grand jury, after which they recommended Baldwin’s indictment.
Baldwin, however, has consistently asserted that he bears no responsibility for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor contends that he was assured the gun did not contain live rounds and that live ammunition was not supposed to be present on the set.
