Who is Dave Halls? 'Rust' assistant director accused of having history of unsafe safety practices on set

According to an affidavit by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office about the Rust movie's on-set incident on October 21, it was assistant director Dave Halls who handed the firearm to Alec Baldwin.

The incident claimed the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of Rust.

Halls, who was not aware of the live round in the gun, yelled "cold gun." The term meant that the gun was safe to use on-set during the scene.

After the tragic mishap, several publications reported on multiple controversies, and alleged negligence has come to light. IATSE Local 44 prop maker Maggie Goll, who worked with Dave Halls in 2019's Hulu original anthology Into the Dark, spoke to CNN about Halls' negligence on the set of the 2019 project.

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What did Maggie Goll have to say about Dave Halls' work ethic?

Speaking about her experience working with Halls on Into the Dark, the special effects crew member told CNN:

"The only reason the crew was made aware of a weapon's presence was because the assistant prop master demanded Dave acknowledge and announce the situation each day."

She further added that Dave Halls neglected to summon safety meetings and did not follow proper protocol on-set. Goll further claimed that Halls would fail to announce the presence of a gun on set to the crew.

Maggie Goll also said,

"On my first day back on the series, another crew member told me to 'watch out' for Dave, saying he was too physically familiar with the crew, despite many rebuffs and complaints about unwanted and unnecessary touches."

She elaborated,

"Nothing too extreme, but crew members of all genders and dispositions were being made uncomfortable by Dave's touches to their backs, waists, shoulders, etc."

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Who is 'Rust' assistant director Dave Halls?

Dave Halls began his career in 1993 (Image via IMDb)

Dave Halls is an assistant director and actor who has been associated with projects like The Matrix Reloaded, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Fargo. According to his IMDb page, he started his career as an assistant director in 1996's TV movie The Right to Remain Silent. However, Halls is noted to have forayed into the film industry as an uncredited crew member in 1993's Grumpy Old Men as an assistant location manager.

Dave Halls on set (Image via IMDb)

Halls is expected to be in his mid to late 50s. He has garnered around 83 credits as an assistant director in his career spanning over 25 years. In 2000, he also worked as the assistant director for The Crow: Salvation, the sequel to the 1994 film that claimed Brandon Lee's life. The actor was killed in a similar prop gun-related mishap.