Hollywood star Alec Baldwin, who is awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter following the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has confessed to using drugs, including cocaine, on a daily basis in the past. In a recent interview, the 66-year-old actor said he prefers not to speak about that aspect of his life, adding that it was a long time ago and he has been sober for 39 years.
Baldwin explained that he first started using cocaine when he moved cross-country from New York to California in 1983. He confessed that he took the drug every day, adding it was “like coffee” in Tinseltown at that time. “Everybody was doing it all day long,” he said.
Following two years of heavy cocaine use, the actor finally managed to get clean but then fell into alcohol. He explained that he was warned by fellow users that as soon as he walked away from drugs, his drinking would increase, and he said that is precisely what happened. Years later, he described missing alcohol but not cocaine.
In 2021, a court ordered the star to refrain from drinking after he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in New Mexico. The charges followed the fatal shooting of Ms. Hutchins, who died when struck by a bullet fired by Baldwin on the set of the movie Rust.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, is serving an 18-month jail term for handing the loaded gun to Baldwin. If convicted, the actor faces a similar sentence.
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Special Prosecutor Andrea Reeb charged Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, saying if not for their actions, Hutchins would not have died. Prosecutors said there had been “criminal disregard” for safety on the movie set.
The incident happened near Santa Fe in October 2021, when Gutierrez-Reed loaded the gun – a film prop – with live rounds and handed it to Baldwin. He then fired, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
