Alex Baldwin may be transitioning to a quieter, family-oriented life, but insiders say the emotional and physical strain of raising seven young children while navigating the aftermath of “Rust“The tragedy weighs heavily on him.
The movie star also opened up about how the incident affected his health, career and personal life, while ongoing legal battles continue to keep the devastating shooting in the spotlight.
Friends reportedly fear the pressure of balancing fatherhood, stress and legal action could become overwhelming for Alec Baldwin.
Alec Baldwin reportedly struggling as sources say full-time parenting pressure increases
The 68-year-old actor, who shares his children with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, has largely stepped away from Hollywood following the fallout from the “Rust” shootings and is now focusing on his family life.
“Alec has been running on empty for years,” a source told a media outlet. “And now he likes to take on the lion’s share of childcare, giving Hilaria the time and space to do what she wants, especially since she has many professional projects and other passions that take up much of her time.”
The couple also prefers not to rely too heavily on nannies, leaving the former “Match Game” host with “his hands full, literally from morning until nightfall.”
This would have left Alec looking like an “exhausted zombie with bags under his eyes 24/7.”
Actor still ‘very affected’ by ‘Rust’ shooting incident
Alec’s loved ones now say parental pressure has only intensified following the tragic ‘Rust’ shooting.
The actor was charged with manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set in 2021, although the case was later dismissed because the prosecution withheld key evidence from the defense.
Although the criminal case has concluded, Alec has yet to recover from the toll it took on his life, with a source stressing that he is “still very affected by the tragedy”.
“It’s a dark cloud that hangs over his head and still weighs him down terribly,” added the source, according to information gathered.
Alec Baldwin says ‘rust’ tragedy took ’10 years’ off him and admits he doesn’t want to work anymore
Speaking on the ‘Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction’ podcast, Alec admitted the experience changed almost every aspect of his life.
“I can tell you, [the ‘Rust’ tragedy] broke every nerve in my body, spiritually, financially, at work, my career, my wife, my children, my friends, my health,” he said, adding that the ordeal “took at least 10 years of my life.”
In another interview on “Awards Chatter,” Baldwin opened up about how drastically his priorities changed after the incident. He explained that he spent years mostly at home with his children and became deeply attached to this routine.
“I was at home, I got used to it and I don’t want to leave my house,” he confessed. “I don’t want to. I don’t want to work anymore. I don’t want to. I really don’t want to. I want to retire and stay home with my kids.”
Actor says he felt forced to return to rust as retrial heads to trial
Alec also revealed that returning to finish “Rust” in Montana was not an easy decision. According to the actor, completing the film was part of a legal agreement related to the settlement with the Hutchins family.
He claimed that producers would have taken legal action against him if he had refused to return to the set, despite ongoing health problems at the time.
At the same time, Alec is still facing legal action related to the tragedy. A judge recently ruled that a civil lawsuit related to the “Rust” shooting incident can move forward to trial.
As reported The explosionthe case was brought by lighting technician Serge Svetnoy, who alleges that Alec and the film’s production team failed to follow proper gun safety procedures on set.
Svetnoy claims he was standing near Hutchins, just a few feet behind a monitor, while Alec rehearsed a cross-draw maneuver when the gun discharged.
In the lawsuit, Svetnoy argued that “there was no reason for a live bullet to be placed in this Colt .45 revolver or to be present anywhere on the Rust set,” calling the weapon “a deadly threat to anyone nearby.”
Alec Baldwin faces new scrutiny as ‘rust’ lawsuit claims crew member narrowly escaped death
The filing further alleges that after Hutchins was shot, Svetnoy rushed to help him and stayed by his side for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until paramedics arrived.
According to the lawsuit, he later realized how narrowly he himself had escaped being hit.
“He realized that he had been squarely in the danger zone posed by the loaded gun in Defendant Baldwin’s hand, and what he felt passing him after the Colt revolver discharged was not mere pressurized air,” the lawsuit states. “But for an inch or two, maybe less, that bullet could have ended his life.”
The lawsuit also claims that the scene being rehearsed did not require Alec to fire the gun at all, while emphasizing that the gun should not have contained live ammunition under any circumstances.