Entertainment
Dwayne Johnson Vows to Exclude Real Firearms From Film Sets
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Following the recent tragedy on the Rust set where a live bullet discharged from a prop gun fatally striking cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the entertainment industry as a whole is reconsidering the presence of firearms in film production. Numerous voices have emphasized the necessity for production companies to forego authentic firearms, opt for prop ammunition like blanks, and transition to using imitation props to avert such incidents. Among these advocates is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a lead actor in the newly released Red Notice and the head of Seven Bucks Productions.
Expressing his sorrow, Johnson shared with Variety his thoughts on the Rust mishap, stating, “We lost a life. My condolences to her family and everyone on set. I’ve known Alec for a long time.”
“While I can’t speak for others, I can unequivocally state that in all our forthcoming projects at Seven Bucks Productions — whether films, television shows, or any other production — we will completely do away with real firearms,” Johnson affirmed. “We will transition to using rubber guns and address it during post-production. We won’t prioritize costs; the safety comes first.”
Dwayne @TheRock Johnson has committed to discontinuing the use of real guns in all projects produced by his company, @SevenBucksProd: “We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post… We won’t worry about what it costs.” https://t.co/zZnTdxZuYD pic.twitter.com/n1tjAzfbvG
— Variety (@Variety) November 4, 2021
Meanwhile, Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer for Rust, has suggested that an unidentified third party might have maliciously inserted live rounds among the dummy rounds in an attempt to cause a safety mishap.
“We are concerned that this could have been the case here, with the deliberate placement of a live round within a container of dummies,” said Jason Bowles, Gutierrez’s legal counsel, to Good Morning America.
“We are not implying any intent for a catastrophic outcome or harm,” he added, “but rather an orchestrated event to induce a safety incident on set. That’s our belief of what transpired.”
