Los Angeles, California – On the set of her latest film, Hayden Panettiere appeared professional and warm outwardly, but her co‑star Justin Chatwin has now recalled seeing a different side of the actor during what would be her final shoot.
When Justin and Hayden stood in front of the camera for the psychological thriller Sleepwalker in 2025, it was initially a reunion of colleagues.
Both had already worked together on the science‑fiction series Heroes, which made Hayden world‑famous in 2006.
“I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie,'” Justin told People.
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She talked to him about addiction, withdrawal, and traumatic experiences. And although she was friendly and professional on set, he saw behind that façade a woman who was “really lonely,” the Canadian actor said.
“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 added.
In hindsight, that makes Sleepwalker almost eerie. In the movie, Panettiere plays a woman confronting the loss of her daughter after a severe car accident. It was a role about trauma, loss, and guilt – issues that were far from abstract in Hayden’s real life.
Only a few months before her death, the 36‑year‑old released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In it, Hayden speaks openly about her struggles with addiction, postpartum depression, and the difficult years of her career.
Justin believes Hayden was able to play many of her roles so intensely because they were so close to her own problems – like in Nashville, where she portrayed singer Juliette Barnes, a character forced to endure countless setbacks and battling dependencies.
In 2023, Hayden returned to the big screen with Scream VI after a long hiatus. It was hailed as a comeback, followed by more projects – but a career comeback doesn’t always mean a person is healthy, happy, or back on track in their personal life.
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“Hayden seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years,” Chatwin said. “I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood – it takes, and it takes from youths.”
According to Justin, actors are trained to play a role. Hayden was lovable and had a “beautiful heart,” yet she dropped the mask in front of him.
Hayden’s death remains unresolved.
Authorities reported a cardiac arrest and an emergency call that mentioned an overdose. She had also recently reunited with an ex who had previously been arrested for assault, per new reports.
