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Although acting may not be the most death-defying job globally, celebrities still get into rare mishaps that get them injured. However, some actors themselves cause accidental harm—and even death—to their co-actors in some cases. Careers ending, movie shoots pausing, and controversies spreading—this is what Bruce Lee's son and Alec Baldwin have in common.
What exactly happened to the two actors whose names got involved in tragic death-related controversies? How did their accidents affect their acting career? Here's how Brandon Lee's end mirrored Alex Baldwin's controversy...
Who Is Brandon Lee?
Brandon Lee is the late legendary martial arts actor Bruce Lee's son. Following his father's footsteps, he was also a martial artist and later on ventured into the acting industry and was even considered a rising artist in the early 1990s. Born on February 1, 1965, Brandon didn't take a long time to land his first martial arts leading role in the Legacy of Rage in 1986 after moving to LA.
As he explored more acting roles in Hollywood, big production companies such as Warner Bros and Century Fox recognized his on-film presence. They decided to include him in Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire, respectively. Now getting more Hollywood attention and fans, Dimensions Films cast him as Eric Draven in the movie 'The Crow' in 1994. However, sadly, Brandon Lee couldn't finish filming the movie because of his tragic death during production.
What Happened To Bruce Lee's Son?
While the scene 'The Crow' where Brandon Lee's character Eric needs to save her on-screen fiancée Shelly Webster from getting killed by thugs, he had to get shot by Michael Massee as he entered the room. The film production used an accurate 44 Magnum revolver as a prop for the shooting scene already of real gun ammunition. When the scene asks for Michael to press the trigger, the crew expected to see a fake explosive since they replaced the ammunition with dummies, but they were shocked to see a different outcome after the shot.
There was a mishap in the necessary safety measures by the prop crew wherein they neglected to remove the ammunition primer or the mental case in a bullet from the 44 Magnum revolver. Although they pulled the powder, they overlooked removing all shells from the rounds.
The gun released no real bullet, the energy from the trigger toward Brandon's body was enough to end his life two to three minutes after being shot. Bruce Lee's son was declared dead on arrival due to accidental negligence on March 31, 1993.
Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Accident
Following Brandon Lee's tragic end, another prop gun accident happened 28 years later. During one of Alec Baldwin's film shoots for his movie 'Rust.' Unlike Brandon, Alec Baldwin is known for his comedy and drama movies, usually playing a romantic partner or successful professional role. In his latest film, 'Rust,' which is about the life of an outlaw, Alec plays Harland Rust's part, a ruthless outlaw fighting for his freedom.
In an unspecified scene during filming, Alec received a 'cold gun' which meant a gun with no ammunition. However, when the actor gave the weapon a test fire, everyone in the Rust Product LLC was surprised to see a bullet hit the director of photography Halyana Hutchkins on her shoulders and director Joel Souza. Halyana died due to her gunshot wound, while the shell grazed Joel.
As the actor and producer, Alec Baldwin cooperated with the New Mexico Environment Department about the incident, which he had no prior knowledge about the live rounds in the gun. The investigation of the incident revealed the production lacked proper gun safety measures for the film. A crew member also told LA Times, "There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn't happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush."
Will Alec Baldwin Return To Acting?
Six months after the tragic 'Rust' incident, Alec Baldwin will be going back to acting with his brother William Baldwin for the films Kid Santa' and 'Billie's Magic World.' He's staying away from actions films—especially those with guns involved—while the 'Rust' case continues following Rust Production LLC's disagreement with the New Mexico Environmental Department's issuance of $136,793 to the production.
Fans and relatives were disappointed with how the Rust Production LLC addressed the 'Rust' shooting incident. After the incident, Paparazzi also tried to get a statement from Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin's first wife, but she remained silent about the issue. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin's lawyers issued a public statement clearing their client's name, stating that Alec did not know the gun was loaded when he fired it.
Eliza Hutton, Brandon Lee's fiancée, also speaks of her dismay at how gun-caused deaths on the film set still happen even after what happened to the end of her partner's life. In an interview with People, she says, "I urge those in positions to make a change to consider alternatives to real guns on sets." The lack of safety protocols by the crew resulted in a tragedy similar to Brandon Lee's that would not have happened if only their respective productions had followed necessary gun safety protocols.
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