Alec Baldwin Breaks Down, Insists He ‘Didn’t Pull the Trigger’ in First Interview Since Fatal Shooting of Rust Cinematographer

Alec Baldwin sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for his first interview since Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set. 

In a teaser for the interview, which will be released in full Thursday at 8 pm ET, Baldwin is first shown praising Hutchins as “someone who was loved by everyone she worked with, and liked by everyone she worked with, and admired.”

“I think the big question, and the one you must have asked yourself a thousand times — how could this have happened?” Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin, later adding, “The gun was in your hand — how do you come to terms with that?”

While the clip does not show Baldwin’s response, the actor, who called the incident a “one in a trillion event,” can be seen breaking down in tears following the question.

Stephanopoulos later noted that the script did not call for Baldwin to pull the trigger of the gun that killed Hutchins, pointing to a claim made by Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who is suing Baldwin and the film’s other producers for “assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and deliberate infliction of harm.”

“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I did not pull the trigger,” Baldwin insisted. “No, no, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”

He went on to claim, “Someone put a live bullet in a gun — a gun that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” adding that he has “no idea” how the accident occurred.

While Baldwin’s answer is not included in the teaser, Stephanopoulos is shown asking Baldwin how he responds to George Clooney’s assertion that he checks every gun that is handed to him on set.

“You said you’re not a victim, but is this the worst thing that has ever happened to you?” Stephanopoulos later asked Baldwin.

“Yes,” he replied without skipping a beat. “Because I, I think back, and I think of what could I have done?”

Watch above, via ABC.