Alec Baldwin’s interview on ABC news is being labelled as ‘distasteful’

Alec Baldwin says he assumed the gun he was holding was empty of live bullets before it went off and killed a cinematographer during a rehearsal on the set of the movie Rust.

In an emotional television interview with ABC News America, which aired on Thursday night, the actor also said he did not see any safety issues on the set before the incident where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

“We both assumed the gun was empty, other than those, you know, dummy rounds,” Mr Baldwin told the US ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

The actor had been handed the gun by a crew member and told it was safe.

He said he did not pull the trigger.

What prompted Alec Baldwin to have this conversation with George Stephanopoulos?

Entertainment reporter Sam Rubin told tickerNEWS it “does reeks of exploitation”

The police investigation is still ongoing and Rubin says there’s no indication either pro or con as to if criminal charges will be filed.

“It just seems extraordinarily premature to do something like this”

Rubin said

“Alec Baldwin seems very emotional, very raw about the whole thing. But some people here are finding this whole thing somewhat distasteful.”

Rubin said It’s really not about him, but rather about of course, the cinematographer 42 year old Halyna Hutchins who died.

Is it fair that a network actually profit off a murder here when it’s still an open investigation?

Rubin says there is an obvious promotional nature of the interview with “the music that’s been added in the editing, the lighting, the whole thing does to me reek of exploitation.”

He said people have openly questioned if Alec Baldwin should be doing this.

“Most journalists around the world would not turn down the opportunity to have a conversation like this. It is a hour long special with commercial interruptions, the network certainly will profit from it,” he said.

“They’re already talking about the streaming service they’re promoting that will require the special. So yeah, the motivations are not entirely pure.”

Alec Baldwin says he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the gun that fatally wounded Halyna Hutchins – so how did it all unfold?

Are those appropriate things for him to discuss in this atmosphere at this time?

“What I do know is I bet the person who sort of brokered this interview, George Stephanopoulos, his wife is an actress and comedian named Ellie Wentworth. And I know she is friendly with Alec Baldwin,” Rubin said.

“And she isn’t the family. So I don’t know that she necessarily put this together. But it’s entirely possible. They all knew each other socially before this interview.”

Will the interview influence the public here?

“Are you trying to sort of influence a jury before juries even selected that that could be? very legitimate question,” he said.

“New Mexico is a relatively small, small area, but both the sheriff there and the district attorney there, you can just tell sometimes I think you get a sense of these things. They like being on TV, they like all this attention. And so I don’t know if that will influence anything,” Rubin continued.

“I’m not trying to suggest any kind of ethical breach, but you can tell that the bright lights, the cameras, they’re not shying away from them.”

The investigation needs to be completed and then new determination needs to be made have a degree of responsibility and is there criminal responsibility charges be filed that remains a mystery.