Hayden Panettiere was “struggling” and “really lonely” during the making of what would become her final film before her death from a suspected overdose, her co-star Justin Chatwin has said.
Panettiere, who died over the weekend just days before her 37th birthday, shot the psychological thriller “Sleepwalker” last February. In the film, she portrayed a grief-stricken mother trying to cope after her daughter is killed in a car crash.
The role carried painful echoes of Panettiere’s real life. The actress, who had relinquished custody of her own daughter, also played a woman enduring domestic abuse — an experience Panettiere herself had faced during her turbulent relationship with on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson.
“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, who played Panettiere’s abusive husband in the movie, told People on Monday.
Chatwin, 43, best known for “Shameless,” said he already knew Panettiere before they reunited on set. Still, he sensed that something had changed as they worked on the movie, which would later be remembered as her last screen performance before her suspected overdose death.
“I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie,” he said, suggesting her difficulties appeared to extend beyond the demands of the production.
“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.”
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The Canadian-born actor said Panettiere was “authentic… about her life and she opened up about her struggles with addiction” while filming “Sleepwalker,” which was released in January.
“She was delightful and super open and we had a great time together and I’m just saddened that another one got taken down,” he said.
The actress’ shocking death came just three months after she published her deeply candid memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which the former child star opened up about her harrowing battles with alcohol and opioid addiction, postpartum depression, domestic abuse and the pressures of growing up in Hollywood. Hickerson has also admitted being abusive toward her.
Brandon Auman, the movie’s writer and director, described Panettiere as a “bright, open, [and] numinous spirit.”
“She was open and honest about the last few years of her life and how it related to her character,” he told People.
“I’m keeping those conversations private, but I was struck by how complex and deeply introspective she was. She lived a dozen lives in one short beautiful life. I’ll miss her forever.”
Panettiere, who shared daughter Kyla with ex-boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko, was found unresponsive by an unidentified acquaintance inside a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment on Sunday having suffered a cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose.
She flew out of Los Angeles with Hickerson the previous day — though it’s not clear if he placed the call.
Panettiere died five days before her 37th birthday.
