Dwayne Johnson says all Seven Bucks Productions projects will utilize rubber guns moving forward, with the Red Notice star pointing to the “heartbreaking” news of the deadly Rust shooting as having inspired this decision.
Speaking withVariety on Wednesday, Johnson—who co-founded the multi-platform Seven Bucks company with Dany Garcia—was asked to share his thoughts about the use of firearms on set. For the sake of clarity, Seven Bucks is not at all involved with Rust, which counts El Dorado Pictures among its slate of producers.
“I was heartbroken when I read that and it was the kind of story that you read and you’re like, wait, am I reading this shit right? Did this really happen?” Johnson said. “And you wanna confirm it. So I start to text people who I know who know people because it’s a small industry that we’re in. And they confirmed that, yeah, that happened and we lost a life. So my heart goes out to her family and everybody on set. I’ve known [Alec Baldwin] too, as well, for a very long time.”
While Johnson noted that he’s not in position to speak on behalf of other companies or studios, the Seven Bucks approach moving forward will be one that doesn’t include the use of “real guns” in any capacity.
“What we should do in a scenario like this is learn from it and as we move forward, I think that there are new protocols and new safety measures that we should take, especially in the wake of what just happened,” he said. “Again, I can’t speak for anyone else but I can tell you without an absence of clarity here that any movie that we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions—any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce—we won’t use real guns at all. We’re gonna switch over to rubber guns and we’re gonna take care of it in post. We’re not gonna worry about the dollars. We won’t worry about what it costs.”
According to Johnson, he was on the phone with the entire Seven Bucks team within two hours of hearing about the Rust incident, which resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Johnson then spoke briefly on the sense of pride he and others feel about keeping safety at the forefront of their productions before reiterating the Seven Bucks pledge: “The rule is we’re not gonna use real guns. That’s it,” he said.
In a tweeted statement last month, Baldwin addressed the Rust shooting incident, saying there were “no words” to express his shock and sadness over the tragic accident.
“I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family,” Baldwin said at the time. “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
