Advertisement

Hilaria Baldwin Reveals Daughter Carmen's Heartbreaking Reaction to Tragic Rust Shooting

Alec Baldwin, right, and wife Hilaria Baldwin attend the world premiere of "The Boss Baby: Family Business"
Alec Baldwin, right, and wife Hilaria Baldwin attend the world premiere of "The Boss Baby: Family Business"

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Hilaria Baldwin is looking back at the difficult moment she and Alec Baldwin had to tell their older kids about the fatal shooting on the set of the actor's film Rust.

The mom of seven, 38, opened up in a new interview with Extra about the heartbreaking experience when she and Alec explained what happened to their older two kids, daughter Carmen, 9, and son Rafael, 7. The couple is also parents to daughters Ilaria Catalina Irena, 10 weeks, Maria Lucia Victoria, 22 months, and sons Eduardo "Edu" Pao Lucas, 2, Romeo Alejandro David, 4, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 6.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed Oct. 21, 2021, after a prop gun held by Alec that turned out to contain live rounds discharged. Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the incident; Alec, 64, maintains that he did not pull the trigger.

"There is no way that you can explain this because it is awful. It's awful!" Hilaria said of discussing the shooting with her kids. "I thought I was going to do this without Alec and he said, 'No, I can't be a coward. I have to be there.' "

"And then when I tell them... Carmen started saying to me, 'Why are you telling me this?... She said, 'I want to un-know this,' " Hilaria shared.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

RELATED: Alec Baldwin Says 'My Family Has Kept Me Alive' After Welcoming Seventh Baby with Wife Hilaria

"She used the word 'un-know,' and Alec said, 'I want to un-know it, too,' I think everyone wants to un-know it... because it's real," she said.

"We can go forward and talk about gun safety on sets, and try to figure out how this crazy thing happened, and we can go forward and honor Halyna," Hilaria continued. "We can remember her, continuing her legacy for her, for her family and we can take care of everybody who's still here who is extraordinarily damaged by this awful tragedy. That's all that we can do, but we can't un-know it."

In October, one year after Hutchins' death, Alec posted a tribute to the cinematographer.

While the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office criminal investigation is still pending and no charges have been made, Alec and other Rust producers recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hutchins' widower Matthew earlier this year. Along with the settlement, the team agreed to complete the movie with Matthew now on board as an executive producer.

Sharing news of the settlement on Instagram himself earlier this month, Alec wrote, "We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son."

"We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation," he added.