‘Rust’ director Joel Souza wanted to ‘die’ after shooting incident

Rust director Joel Souza opened up on how he felt after the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead on-set because of a gun, which Alec Baldwin was holding, misfired.

“I remember specifically going to sleep that night and hoping I didn’t wake up the next morning,” Souza, 51, shared with Vanity Fair in an interview published on Thursday, August 15.

“I hoped I would just bleed out overnight because I didn’t want to be around anymore. It was a very difficult moment. I remember just thinking, Maybe I’ll just sort of bleed to death — that would suit me just fine.”

The 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a gun that misfired in the hands of Rust star Alec Baldwin in October 2021. The bullet also injured Souza, fortunately missing his lung.

“It’s bizarre to have been shot,” he reminisced over the trauma in the same interview.

“And then, who was holding the gun? That’s bizarre. I had this weird thought, like, God, I remember watching The Hunt for Red October in the movie theatre when I was a kid. It’s like your older self whispers to your younger self, ‘Hey, that guy … someday.’ … Life can take you down some very bizarre roads.”

Souza stayed silent on the case after the shooting.