Actress Eva Green has accused a producer of risking a tragedy akin to the Alec Baldwin shooting on Rust by cutting stunt training on her ill-fated sci-fi film A Patriot.
The star, 42, was set to play British solider Kate Jones in the 2019 dystopian thriller, but the project fell apart amid bitter in-fighting and budget difficulties.
Giving evidence at the High Court, Green referenced the fatal shooting by actor Alec Baldwin of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his Western film Rust in October 2021.
She said A Patriot executive producer Jake Seal “cut four weeks of stunt training to five days”, despite the extensive fight sequences she would have to perform and her relative inexperience on action films.
“That’s extremely dangerous for an action film”, she said, saying the stunt training was vital for her credibility and “safety reasons”.
“Look at what happened with Alec Baldwin on the movie Rust”, she told the court.
“Producers cutting corners, no safety measures in place, and a young woman got killed.”
In her witness statement, Green said A Patriot was due to have “many action scenes and fight sequences, and she needed to be in “top physical shape”.
Stunt trainers including Eunice Huthart were considered, but no one was ever hired for the role.
“No personal training or stunt training was arranged for me, even though my role was extremely physical and required proper training and preparation as the character was a soldier”, said Green, in her statement.
“I needed to know not only how to fight (without injuring my fellow actors) but also to move and use army tactics like a real soldier.
“This was required not only to be credible in the role but also for safety reasons. If the lead actor is hurt on a film, shooting can be delayed for weeks or even months and it is simply witless to think that stunts can be shot without proper choreography and practice.
“Eventually, production agreed to give me only five days of stunt training before we shot – though I was never actually given this training.
“It made me realise once again how ill-prepared and inexperienced this production was.
“Even in a small budget independent film that requires fighting or use of weapons, the actor would undertake at least several weeks of intensive stunt training prior to shooting.”
Green is accused of walking out on the film and deliberately sabotaging production, but she claims she worked hard to keep the movie on track.
The actress insists the actions of the producers – cutting costs and failing to hire top quality crew – contributed to the film never being made.
Helen Hunt and Charles Dance had been attached to the project, but filming never got underway prior to the collapse in October 2019.
Baldwin and Rust’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed have been charged with involuntary manslaughter over Ms Hutchins’ death. Both have indicated they will fight the charges.
The trial continues.
