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Justin Chatwin, who starred alongside Hayden Panettiere in her final movie, said the actress appeared to be “struggling” on set.
“Hayden seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years,” the Shameless alum, 43, told People in an interview on Monday, August 17, recalling how he first met Panettiere during her stint on the hit show Heroes in the mid-2000s before reuniting on Sleepwalker, which was released in January.
Chatwin continued, “I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie.’ There’s a handful of women that I’ve worked with that I really liked, and I really loved working with her, but I also know that she was really lonely.”
In Sleepwalker, Panettiere played a mom mourning the death of her daughter in a car accident. Chatwin played her abusive husband.
“We hit it off great, and it was an awesome shoot, but it was about domestic abuse, and it was subject matter that may have hit close to home, because she did mention it,” Chatwin told People. “She opened up to me about a lot of things.”
“I’m sure that everyone else is going to say, ‘Oh, she’s amazing. She’s such a sweet person on set,’ because she was,” he added. “But we’re trained to be actors, so we’re acting on set, you know? And she is sweet. She had a beautiful heart. But we’re trained to be on, and I really liked spending time with her because she took that off, and she was authentic with me about her life and she opened up about her struggles with addiction. And who knows where it comes from? Does it come from Hollywood? Does it come from home? And a lot of times, it’s both.”
Panettiere died at age 36 on Sunday, August 16, in Greenville, South Carolina.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement.
The Greenville Police Department said in a statement to Us, “On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, officers from the Greenville Police Department, accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female at Judson Mill Lofts, located at 701 Easley Bridge Road. Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
“The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call,” the statement added.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Monday that an autopsy showed “no signs of trauma … that would have contributed to the death.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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