Hayden Panettiere

Save the cheerleader, save the world. Those words really brought Hayden Panettiere onto the scene in a big way. But outside of Heroes, the actress has had a long career even though she is only 33 years old. She started acting at the age of 11 months when she was in a TV commercial. Since that time, Panettiere has done just about everything when it comes to performing. And though we hadn’t seen much of her lately, she is about to return to a major franchise.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE RETURNED FOR SCREAM 6

It had been more than a decade since we saw Hayden Panettiere in the Scream franchise, and when we last laid eyes on her it looked like she was done for. But that’s not the case for Kirby Reed in this franchise and the character is confirmed back for Scream 6.

It was teased at the end of Scream 5 that the character would return and we even got a look at the actress prepping to shoot for the upcoming film.

It’s unclear how they will bring Kirby Reed back into the mix, but the fan-favorite character definitely deserves a second act. And that will come with Neve Campbell not returning to the franchise for this movie.

Scream 6 hit theaters on March 10, 2023, and starred Courtney Cox, Melissa Barrera, and Jenna Ortega. This time the Ghostface murders make their way to New York City.

For Hayden Panettiere, it was her first major acting role in over six years. That number would seem crazy to think about a decade or more ago when her star was most definitely on the rise.

SHE GOT HER START ON SOAP OPERAS

Hayden Panettiere got her first big acting gig on the soap opera One Life To Live, portraying the young Sarah Roberts. She turned that role into another soap opera gig, this one on Guiding Light.

During an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Panettiere reflected on how those early roles on soap operas prepared her and her acting career by all the things her young characters had to endure. You can see that interview below.

HER FIRST MAJOR MOVIE ROLE WAS IN REMEMBER THE TITANS

Hayden Panettiere took a small break from soaps after her run on Guiding Light ended and moved on to movies, both on the big and small screen. Her star started to rise when she held her own in the film Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington. She played the daughter of the local football coach who seems to like the game even more than her dad. The character was verbose, though somewhat unlikeable. That being said, it was clear Panettiere had a gift for being on-screen.

Then came another soap when she was brought on board for the final season of the legal dramedy Ally McBeal as the title character’s daughter via an egg bank mix-up. Again, her short time on the series only solidified her acting chops and the roles kept coming for Hayden Panettiere.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE WAS IN THE ICE PRINCESS AND BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING

The wonderful thing about Hayden Panettiere is that her career isn’t focused on either movies or TV. She loves doing both and it reflects in the roles she takes on.

After her stint on Ally McBeal, Hayden Panettiere appeared in movies such as Racing Stripes and Ice Princess. She took on the Ice Princess role because she felt she was a jock and she loved sports, so she felt learning to ice skate for the role would be something she could easily do. She was right.

Panettiere could also be seen on the TV show Malcom In The Middle and she also lent her voice to the video game Kingdom Hearts II. She also had a big part in the movie Bring It On: All Or Nothing. But perhaps her biggest role was yet to come.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE BECOMES A STAR IN HEROES

In 2006, the world was hit with the Heroes phenomenon. The show was immediately a smash TV program and Hayden Panettiere was smack dab in the middle of it.

Hayden was cast as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with special powers. In fact, it was her character that one of the most common phrases of the show revolved around, “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

Hayden Panettiere portrayed the heroic cheerleader in each and every episode of the show’s four-season run, which eventually led to a refresh of the series when Heroes Reborn premiered five years later.

Sadly, Hayden Panettiere was only part of two episodes of the 13 that were aired. It could be that Panettiere was already busy with another hit series.

SHE SHOWED OFF HER SINGING TALENT IN NASHVILLE

Hayden Panettiere continued her hot streak when she was cast in one of the lead roles on the hit TV show Nashville. Her character, Juliette Barnes, was a rising country star with a bit of a bad side. But in this show, Panettiere was able to show off another one of her talents. She can sing!

Hayden Panettiere performed all of her own singing on the show and has been featured on many of the CDs that came from the hit show.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE IS INVOLVED WITH ANIMAL ACTIVISM

Despite all the work Panettiere has done in Hollywood, she has also found time for a cause. And she’s shown willingness to put her life on the line for something she believes in.

“I risked my life,” Panettiere said to TV Guide. “A lot of people in this world will say they are involved in causes and organizations, but they don’t actually do something. It was a great feeling to be there physically, making a difference.”

What Panettiere was referring to was putting her life in danger in 2007 when she surfed the waters off the coast of Japan in an effort to stop the slaughter of dolphins and whales. She continues on with her fight in trying to stop the continued attack.

Panettiere is also an official supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, an organization that supports programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of children.

Before all this, she was a teen ambassador for Candie’s Foundation, whose mission is to prevent teenage pregnancy. She also dipped her toe into the political arena when she publicly backed Barack Obama while also urging young people to get out and vote.

SHE WAS MARRIED TO BOXER WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO AND THEY HAVE A DAUGHTER

Nashville went off the air in 2018 and that was the last time we saw Hayden Panettiere on either the large or small screen. Her previous relationship of nine years to former boxer Wladimir Klitschko (with whom she has a child) ended around the same time. It was a rocky time for the actress, admitting that she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her child.

Hayden Panettiere then moved on to dating Real Estate Agent Brian Hickerson and trouble ensued. Hickerson has been accused of domestic violence against Panettiere, not once but multiple times.

In fact, he has been arrested on those charges, though Hayden Panettiere eventually dropped them and went back to him. It does not appear as if the two are together these days.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE IS ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER

Like most celebrities these days, Hayden Panettiere can also be found on social media. On Instagram, she stays active with her nearly 600K followers, posting various pieces of her life and style, as well as catching everyone up on her latest projects.

She has a bigger Twitter following (638K followers) though she is much less active there.