Nicolas Cage Previously Criticized Armorer Involved In Alec Baldwin Accident
The armor for Alec Baldwin's set previously worked with Nicolas Cage. Here's what he had to say about her.
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Alec Baldwin and the incident on the Rust set have caused incredible commotion and conversation around the dangers of on-set accidents. As the police continue their own investigation, so does the public. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is a 24-year-old armorer who handled weapons on the set of Rust. They have now fallen under controversy after previously being the subject of complaints from past film sets. Similar to the accident that had happened during the filming of Rust, Gutierrez-Reed discharged a weapon without warning, reportedly triggering outrage from Nicolas Cage.
Key grip on the Nicolas Cage Western The Old Way Stu Brumbaugh told TheWrap that Gutierrez-Reed had upset the actor after failing to abide by the rules set in place to keep basic safety precautions in practice, specifically announcing when weapons were arriving on set, and when they would be used during production. “Make an announcement, you just blew my f—ing eardrums out!” Brumbaugh said when reporting Nicolas Cage’s scolding of Gutierrez-Reed in response to the declination of weapon safety. Brumbaugh added that “I told the AD, ‘She needs to be let go. We were moving too fast. She’s a rookie.”
According to Gutierrez-Reed’s LinkedIn page, Nicolas Cage’s The Old Way was her first movie as an armorer. She, per her own profile, bills herself as an experienced videographer. Gutierrez-Reed was the same armorer present on the Western set after an assistant director handed Balwin a live and loaded gun which was the weapon that killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The armorer previously expressed the self-doubt of her skills and was hesitant to work on The Old Way.
The gun fired by Baldwin was laid on a cart by Gutierrez-Reed before the assistant director informed the actor it was “cold,” and okay to shoot.In consequence of the actions that had been taken on Nicolas Cage’s set and on the set of Rust, Gutierrez-Reed has been evicted from her place of residence by her landlady, who has remained anonymous. Following the incident, Gutierrez-Reed has removed herself from all social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Baldwin has since spoken about the fatal accident on set and expressed his sentiments to Hutchins’ loved ones through Twitter. The actor broke his apology into two parts, noting his dismay over the events, and transparently informing the public that he is cooperating with authorities throughout the investigation.
Aside from Brumbaugh’s comments shared with TheWrap, and Nicolas Cage snapping at the armorer, there has been little else said about Gutierrez-Reed’s behavior on-set. However, the cast and crew of Rust have taken the opportunity to demonstrate against the recklessness that occurred, and a walk-out in protest followed the shooting. Several camera crew workers left the set in defiance of the lack of safety precautions and in detest of the working conditions that were put into practice. Baldwin’s additional upcoming release, Flint: Who Can You Trust?, has been postponed in solidarity with the tragedy that took place during Rust‘s production timeline. Nicolas Cage’s The Old Way has been pushed back to a 2022 release.
