Chad Stahelski, the director of John Wick's Rust, knows a lot about action films. After nearly two decades in Hollywood, the stuntman now speaks up about how guns are handled on set, and why Alec Baldwin's Rust nightmare could have been avoided.
Stahelski was the man behind the camera in all four John Wick films, but he is also well-known for staring in 1994's The Crow, where Brandon Lee, the son of legendary martial arts icon Bruce Lee, was killed in a gun accident. This footage was later used to complete the film, in which the deceased actor's face was CGI-swapped.
The Hollywood Reporter asked him his thoughts on the Rust tragedy firsthand.
When asked what he'd learned from his early years, films used blank bullets that were still deadly, and today there are electronic and pole guns that make it "impossible for anything to fall off the barrel" and computer graphics.
When asked why is this weapon not used as a standard, Stahelski replied:
He also offered his reasoning for why Hollywood isn't switching to new guns, arguing that the film industry has been using real guns for so long that the move would kill actors and gunsmiths, as well as their entire stockpile of real firearms.
Ultimately, Stahelski's words will be ignored as each director decides whether or not to use firearms in films. However, if money is the sole obstacle, the benefits outweigh the deadly danger that actual use of the weapon presents.
The John Wick set is as safe as it gets, and judging by the first reaction to Chapter 4, the Keanu Reeves franchise will continue to be a smash hit after the film's premiere.
