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Rust arrives in theaters and on-demand on May 2, four years after the on-set accident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
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Alec Baldwin plays an outlaw who springs his estranged grandson, played by young star Patrick Scott McDermott in his illuminating movie debut, from jail.
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McDermott and Josh Hopkins, who plays a lawman on the tail of the fugitive duo, talk about completing the film and honoring Hutchins’ memory.
For the stars of Rust, to reach the end of the frontier and witness the Western’s imminent release into the wild has been bittersweet.
In October 2021, the movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, died after a prop gun held by star and producer Alec Baldwin discharged live rounds during rehearsals on set at Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico. Director-writer Joel Souza also sustained non-fatal injuries. At least a dozen lawsuits against the production followed, including a wrongful death suit from Hutchins’ family. Her estate settled with production in late 2022, under terms that saw her widower, Matthew Hutchins, take on the role of executive producer.
The decision to complete the film in the wake of the tragedy has been met with mixed reactions, but the stars say the feature was finished with the support of Hutchins’ family, and that they will receive profits from the film. “It could be construed as something that it really is not,” star Josh Hopkins, who plays the honest lawman Wood Helm, tells Entertainment Weekly. “I hope people understand that this was the family’s wishes. They wanted the world to see Halyna’s art, and I feel honored to have participated in fulfilling those wishes.”
Fred Hayes/Getty
Halyna Hutchins attends the SAGindie Sundance Filmmakers reception in Park City, Utah in January 2019
His young costar Patrick Scott McDermott, who anchors the Western as teenage orphan Lucas Hollister, adds, “We’re both proud and happy for this to be out in the world and for people to see Halyna’s vision. To see it finally come to reality in a bittersweet way is a bit of a relief.”
In an eerie parallel, the film’s plot concerns an accidental death. In 1880s Wyoming, 13-year-old Hollister is left to fend for himself and his younger brother, Jacob (Easton Malcolm), after their parents die. When Lucas accidentally shoots and kills a local rancher, he’s sentenced to hang. But in a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail, and the two flee to Mexico.
“He’s a boy who just wants to be a boy but has to be a man,” McDermott, who makes his big screen acting debut in the Western, says of his character. “To bring that authority and independence that I don’t think I have naturally was fun to do.”
Building rapport with Baldwin came easily. “The times when we weren’t filming scenes were key,” McDermott shares. “That’s when we spent the most time bonding. He would tell me stories from other movies he had worked on. It was surreal that he was giving me advice and telling me about Tim Burton and 30 Rock.“
Falling Forward Films
Patrick Scott McDermott as Lucas Hollister in ‘Rust’
On Lucas and Harland’s tail as they journey across the rugged frontier is the determined U.S. Marshal Wood Helm. Hopkins was initially attached to play another character in the film, but stepped into the role of the lawman after the original actor, Jensen Ackles, departed due to a scheduling conflict once production resumed in the spring of 2023. “If I had reservations, [it was only that] I didn’t know if I could be as great as he was,” Hopkins says of his predecessor.
“When they first talked about coming back, Matt, Halyna’s husband, and I got on a Zoom because I really needed to see him eye-to-eye rather than hear he wanted this finished,” Hopkins adds. “He asked me to come back.” The first day back on set, of course, came with some baggage. “I cannot lie. It was surreal and very odd,” Hopkins says. “It’s something I never expected to happen, but there was a sense of purpose I had not felt in a film before.”
Falling Forward Films
Josh Hopkins as Wood Helm in ‘Rust’
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“Everyone knew that this was now much more important than it was before,” Hopkins adds. “Everyone had a heavy heart but also now a newfound responsibility and reason to be there that was much greater than ourselves.”
The film ends with a tribute card to Hutchins, whose visuals account for more than half of the final product, and a quote in the form of a question she often posed on set: “How can we make this better?”
“She was the heart of everything,” Hopkins says. Referring to that quote in the final frame of the film, he adds, “When we came back, I think that was something we all said to ourselves over and over again. Because we had a responsibility now and had to bring the energy and passion that she did every day. She was such a vivacious, visionary artist. Her work is incredible in this. It’s a beautiful film.”
McDermott hopes audiences go into the film with an open mind. “It’s to honor this lovely person,” McDermott says. “Expect a lot of heart from it.”
Rust arrives in theaters and on demand on May 2.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
