Have You No Decency?

I am not President of the Alec Baldwin Fan Club, but this is not OK

My impression of actor Alec Baldwin has been formed over three eras.

First, there was the ‘Handsome Baldwin Era’

Alec Baldwin entered my radar when I was a kid – as a prototype ‘handsome man’ on screen. He starred in films like Beetlejuice and The Hunt for Red October, and was also half of a high-profile Hollywood couple.

Before Brangelina and Bennifer, there was Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. It was so long ago, before swarms of paparazzi followed celebrities to Starbucks and the gas station, and when couples were spoken about by their individual names and not morphed into portmanteaus like TomKat. 

As a film lover, I remember Baldwin’s reaction when his then-wife Basinger won an Academy Award in 1998. It was a mix of pride and joy and love. It was #couplesgoals – but not for long.

Then there was the ‘Angry Baldwin Era’

A few years later, Baldwin and Basinger began ugly divorce proceedings. Their fight over custody of their daughter dragged on for years, and included a memorable low point when a voicemail Baldwin left calling their eleven-year-old a ‘thoughtless little pig’ went viral. This period also included verbal (and sometimes physical) altercations with photographers.

This also marked the time period when Baldwin began sharing his opinions more widely (political or otherwise), and that openness (and arrogance) has earned him plenty of critics and enemies.

And then there was the ‘Comedic Baldwin Era’

But Baldwin bounced back. As he no longer fit the youthful movie star parts, he moved to supporting film roles, and then television.

In 2006, he began showing off his comedic skills on 30 Rock, scoring seven Emmy nominations (including two wins) for his work on the show. 

A few years later, Donald Trump’s presidency offered another comedic opportunity for Baldwin, who earned another Emmy for his portrayal of Trump on SNL. Baldwin’s public distaste for Trump also led to a public feud between the two men on twitter.

But last week, while on location in New Mexico, tragedy struck Baldwin. While filming an outlaw picture called Rust, Baldwin discharged a gun that killed Halyna Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured (and later released from the hospital).

This is a horrible tragedy – and details quickly emerged that began pointing fingers. The weapon had been handed to Baldwin and announced as a ‘cold gun’ (a term used to indicate that the gun did not have any live rounds inside). 

Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger of a gun on a film set (in what appears to be a tragic accident) – and now someone is dead. 

Regardless of your opinion of him, can you imagine what that must feel like?

But, as soon as I heard about what happened, I knew what would happen next. 

Because Baldwin has been so outspoken in his criticism of Trump (and spent years mocking him on SNL), I knew that the Trump brigade would be coming for him. 

I hoped that some shred of decency might emerge.

But no. Just a few days after the incident, Don Jr. was selling $28 T-shirts on his website with the slogan:

“Guns don’t kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people.” 

And a few other politicians and pundits have jumped on the bandwagon, making attacks and jokes, too.

I get it, they don’t like Alec Baldwin. I understand.  

But someone died. In a horrible accident. 

Can we come together as people and acknowledge that? 

Regardless of politics, we should all be able to recognize the heartbreaking tragedy of a woman losing her life. A husband losing a wife, a son losing a mother. Family and friends losing a loved one.

A film crew saw their colleagues being shot. 

How much pain must they all be feeling right now?

Attack Alec Baldwin for his views if you want. Criticize his acting if you don’t like it. You can even make jokes that he was silent while his Boston-born wife passed herself off as Spanish (successfully) for years. 

But don’t make jokes about a terrible accident that killed someone.

It’s crass. 

It’s cruel. 

And we should all be better than that.

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Beth Collier loves writing about the intersection of pop culture and business. She helps leaders and teams improve their communication and creativity skills through coaching and team workshops. Her clients benefit from her global business experience, her Midwestern Ted Lasso-style optimism, and her endless supply of pop culture references.

She’s also notoriously curious, and shares stories that show the power of creativity and curiosity in her weekly newsletter, Curious Minds.