Alec Baldwin’s ‘family hug’ video with kids follows lawsuit

In the hours after Halyna Hutchins’ family went public Tuesday with a wrongful-death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and others involved in the production of “Rust,” the veteran actor and his influencer wife, Hilaria, shared a video of themselves, cuddling with some of their six young children in what one of the children gleefully said was “a family hug.”

In watching the video from the media-savvy Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, it’s hard not to see it as a joint response to the big news of the day, which is that Baldwin was accused in the lawsuit of “recklessly” shooting and killing Hutchins, the cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” on Oct. 21.

With the video posted to Hilaria Baldwin’s Instagram page, the couple appear eager to display a united family front with a “warm and fuzzy” video for their combined 3.3 million followers, as Evan Nierman, founder of the crisis management and PR firm Red Banyan, said. The beleaguered 63-year-old actor appears in soft focus, while his wife looks directly into the camera.

To others, the video can be seen as a painful reminder of all that Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, and her young son, Andros, have lost, allegedly because of the actions of Baldwin and other defendants named in the lawsuit.

“While the intentions may have been to paint Alec Baldwin in a lovable family-man light, you can see how within the Hutchins’ family, it would remind them of the photos they can never take again,” Nierman said.

The lawsuit pointedly said that “Halyna Hutchins would be alive and well, hugging her husband and 9-year old son” had Baldwin and other “Rust” producers and crew members adhered to basic gun safety rules and training.

The Baldwins’ video was posted several hours after the Hutchins family attorney, Brian Panish, held a press conference on the West Coast. “That’s the problem with posting on social media,” Nierman said. “It leaves so much to interpretation, but it’s not a big leap to see that the video, with the date it was posted, could be a broadside against the Hutchins’ family or the lawsuit.”

On Tuesday, Hilaria Baldwin also shared other posts that could be “open to interpretation.” The yoga instructor published a definition of the words “gaslighting” and of “schadenfreude” — taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.  She also shared a quote about learning she has the “right to be angry.”

Such posts are in line with Hilaria Baldwin’s belief that she and her husband have been unfairly targeted for criticism since the shooting. The Boston-born influencer also has complained about the trolls who comment and “gossip” about her since she was revealed to have been falsely presenting herself as a Spanish immigrant in interviews and on social media.

At the press conference Tuesday, Panish said Baldwin has “significant personal liability” because he was both a producer on the film and the star, who also was “the person who was holding the weapon” that killed Hutchins. Panish said he expects that the damages will be substantial because Hutchins and her husband enjoyed “a long-time marriage.”

There is “a soul mate” who was lost, while a boy being raised without a mother at a young age “is a tremendous loss,” Panish continued. “Anyone who has been close to that kind of experience knows that goes on forever and ever.”

Panish also presented a detailed video that used simulated figures to re-enact the shooting. Nierman said the video was “compelling” and “a media savvy move” by the family’s legal team. It allows the attorneys to “frame the narrative” and to visually stress some of the more damaging allegations made in the lawsuit.

Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that Baldwin personally should have made sure the gun wasn’t loaded or that it was only loaded it with blank rounds. Even if Baldwin was told the gun was “cold,” he should never have pointed it in anyone’s direction, the lawsuit said. He also should have treated the gun as if it were loaded and kept his finger away from the trigger.

In a lengthy interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in December, Baldwin controversially claimed he didn’t pull the trigger. He said he had been rehearsing a scene with Hutchins and director Joel Souza, practicing a “cross draw” move and following Hutchins’ directions on how to position the gun, pointing it in her direction, to capture the best shot.

The gun had been loaded by rookie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed who has said in her own lawsuit that she she didn’t know that the box of ammunition supplied to the set contained at least one live round. Baldwin said he had been told by director Dave Halls that the gun was “cold,” meaning it was safe to use, but he also said he only cocked the gun and insisted he didn’t pull the trigger.

At the news conference, Panish challenged Baldwin’s claim he didn’t pull the trigger. “I think it’s clear what happened,” Panish said. “Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it — Halyna was killed. The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back.”

Aaron Dyer, an attorney who represents Baldwin and the other producers, issued a formal response to the lawsuit on Tuesday, saying: “Everyone’s hearts and thoughts remain with Halyna’s family as they continue to process this unspeakable tragedy,” Variety reported.

Dyer specifically dismissed the allegations that Baldwin should have checked the gun himself, saying that “he, Halyna and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a ‘cold gun’ — meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise.”

Dyer said this protocol has worked on “thousands of other films” and stressed that actors should rely on other professionals and not decide on their own when a gun is safe to use.

The shooting remains under criminal investigation by sheriff’s investigators and prosecutors in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. After the shooting, Baldwin tried to come across “as very sympathetic” to Hutchins’ family,” a respectful, reserved individual who was in a way almost (acting) like an advocate for the family,” Nierman said.

That positioning has probably “fallen away” with the lawsuit, Nierman said. However, it was expected that Hutchins’ family would sue Baldwin and the producers for reasons of legal strategy, said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. Baldwin and the producers also should have the “deep pockets” and the ability to pay damages, Rahmani added.

Since the shooting, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have continued to post photos, videos and testimonials about themselves, their family, Baldwin’s latest projects and other events that make it appear that they are moving on with their lives.

In the hours after Halyna Hutchins’ family went public Tuesday with a wrongful-death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and others involved in the production of “Rust,” the veteran actor and his influencer wife, Hilaria, shared a video of themselves, cuddling with some of their six young children in what one of the children gleefully said was “a family hug.”

In watching the video from the media-savvy Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, it’s hard not to see it as a joint response to the big news of the day, which is that Baldwin was accused in the lawsuit of “recklessly” shooting and killing Hutchins, the cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” on Oct. 21.

With the video posted to Hilaria Baldwin’s Instagram page, the couple appear eager to display a united family front with a “warm and fuzzy” video for their combined 3.3 million followers, as Evan Nierman, founder of the crisis management and PR firm Red Banyan, said. The beleaguered 63-year-old actor appears in soft focus, while his wife looks directly into the camera.

To others, the video can be seen as a painful reminder of all that Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, and her young son, Andros, have lost, allegedly because of the actions of Baldwin and other defendants named in the lawsuit.

“While the intentions may have been to paint Alec Baldwin in a lovable family-man light, you can see how within the Hutchins’ family, it would remind them of the photos they can never take again,” Nierman said.

The lawsuit pointedly said that “Halyna Hutchins would be alive and well, hugging her husband and 9-year old son” had Baldwin and other “Rust” producers and crew members adhered to basic gun safety rules and training.

The Baldwins’ video was posted several hours after the Hutchins family attorney, Brian Panish, held a press conference on the West Coast. “That’s the problem with posting on social media,” Nierman said. “It leaves so much to interpretation, but it’s not a big leap to see that the video, with the date it was posted, could be a broadside against the Hutchins’ family or the lawsuit.”

On Tuesday, Hilaria Baldwin also shared other posts that could be “open to interpretation.” The yoga instructor published a definition of the words “gaslighting” and of “schadenfreude” — taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.  She also shared a quote about learning she has the “right to be angry.”

Such posts are in line with Hilaria Baldwin’s belief that she and her husband have been unfairly targeted for criticism since the shooting. The Boston-born influencer also has complained about the trolls who comment and “gossip” about her since she was revealed to have been falsely presenting herself as a Spanish immigrant in interviews and on social media.

At the press conference Tuesday, Panish said Baldwin has “significant personal liability” because he was both a producer on the film and the star, who also was “the person who was holding the weapon” that killed Hutchins. Panish said he expects that the damages will be substantial because Hutchins and her husband enjoyed “a long-time marriage.”

There is “a soul mate” who was lost, while a boy being raised without a mother at a young age “is a tremendous loss,” Panish continued. “Anyone who has been close to that kind of experience knows that goes on forever and ever.”

Panish also presented a detailed video that used simulated figures to re-enact the shooting. Nierman said the video was “compelling” and “a media savvy move” by the family’s legal team. It allows the attorneys to “frame the narrative” and to visually stress some of the more damaging allegations made in the lawsuit.

Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that Baldwin personally should have made sure the gun wasn’t loaded or that it was only loaded it with blank rounds. Even if Baldwin was told the gun was “cold,” he should never have pointed it in anyone’s direction, the lawsuit said. He also should have treated the gun as if it were loaded and kept his finger away from the trigger.

In a lengthy interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in December, Baldwin controversially claimed he didn’t pull the trigger. He said he had been rehearsing a scene with Hutchins and director Joel Souza, practicing a “cross draw” move and following Hutchins’ directions on how to position the gun, pointing it in her direction, to capture the best shot.

The gun had been loaded by rookie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed who has said in her own lawsuit that she she didn’t know that the box of ammunition supplied to the set contained at least one live round. Baldwin said he had been told by director Dave Halls that the gun was “cold,” meaning it was safe to use, but he also said he only cocked the gun and insisted he didn’t pull the trigger.

At the news conference, Panish challenged Baldwin’s claim he didn’t pull the trigger. “I think it’s clear what happened,” Panish said. “Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it — Halyna was killed. The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back.”

Aaron Dyer, an attorney who represents Baldwin and the other producers, issued a formal response to the lawsuit on Tuesday, saying: “Everyone’s hearts and thoughts remain with Halyna’s family as they continue to process this unspeakable tragedy,” Variety reported.

Dyer specifically dismissed the allegations that Baldwin should have checked the gun himself, saying that “he, Halyna and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a ‘cold gun’ — meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise.”

Dyer said this protocol has worked on “thousands of other films” and stressed that actors should rely on other professionals and not decide on their own when a gun is safe to use.

The shooting remains under criminal investigation by sheriff’s investigators and prosecutors in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. After the shooting, Baldwin tried to come across “as very sympathetic” to Hutchins’ family,” a respectful, reserved individual who was in a way almost (acting) like an advocate for the family,” Nierman said.

That positioning has probably “fallen away” with the lawsuit, Nierman said. However, it was expected that Hutchins’ family would sue Baldwin and the producers for reasons of legal strategy, said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. Baldwin and the producers also should have the “deep pockets” and the ability to pay damages, Rahmani added.

Since the shooting, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have continued to post photos, videos and testimonials about themselves, their family, Baldwin’s latest projects and other events that make it appear that they are moving on with their lives.