Hayden Panettieredoesn't always have a lot in common with her roles. She's best known for playing a cheerleader who has to save the world and a country superstar. But in her new horror-comedyA Breed Apart, it was easy to step into the mind of her character. After all, she's playing an actress named Hayden. "I was playing me, down to the hairstyles and the clothes," she laughs to Yahoo Entertainment about her character, actress Hayden Hurst. An actress playing an actress? While it might not have been enough of a challenge for some, the 35-year-old says she found it to be "an amazing outlet to get out frustrations." "There are definitely parts of me all over the character," she says. "So both Haydens had fun." It was clear Panettiere, in a relaxed mood, was excited to talk about the project during our phone call. She has been steadily working since 2023, when she reprised her fan-favorite role, Kirby Reed, inScream VI. The filmended a four-yearacting hiatus for the actress, and she's been hanging around the thriller genre ever since. Although I've been a fan of her work (especiallyNashville), it was the first time I interviewed the former child star. I anticipated her to be guarded, but she had an ease about her. A Breed Apart, which came out in theaters and on demand on May 16, follows a group of social media influencers who score an invite to a private island. The trip turns into a horrific reality show when the guests are pitted against each other to capture the island's man-eating dogs. Campy, yes, but, according to Panettiere, also "badass." And it's the first time sinceHeroesthat she's gotten to flex those muscles. (The actress played Claire Bennet in the sci-fi series, which ran from 2006 to2010, about ordinary people with superpowers.) "I don't want to terrify anyone by saying how easily it comes to me, but to feel like you have permission to really go there and you don't have to worry about hurting people's feelings or being considered rude or people thinking badly of you? To get that temporary permission to be a hellion and a badass is so much fun. I love it," she says. What was harder for Panettiere was putting herself into the shoes of a content creator. Among the social media platforms, Panettiere is only active on Instagram, with 860,000 followers. She shares photos every few weeks, typically about her films, animals and the occasional motivational selfie. She doesn't share content on TikTok or X, although she previouslyposted on the platformwhen it was known as Twitter. In fact, the actress didn't even go public on Instagram until June 2020. Keeping her personal life (mostly) offline feels intentional for Panettiere, who has only known life in the public eye. The child star appeared in her first commercial before she turned 1 and started acting in soap operas at age 5. The actress has been openabout her sobriety journey. Her private life was tabloid fodder for years, which is perhaps why she never gets too personal on social media these days. "I have tried to develop a better relationship with social media," she admits. "I've been acting in this industry for so long that it's not something that I grew up doing. But it's a great platform to be able to talk about charity work, or promote movies or talk about whatever it is. It is a great platform at the end of the day." Panettiere says, like most of us, she just seeks to find the right footing. "I don't know how some of these influencers literally make it their job and do it all day, every day. I mean, my hat's off to them. I couldn't do that," she explains. "It encourages people to have an opinion about everything and to voice it, which can be a double-edged sword." Panettiere knows better than anyone that social media can be a dog-eat-dog world. Last year, she was "forced to address"a video interview she did with People magazine that went viral, with viewers dissecting her speech patterns. She called out the "toxicity of social media," saying, "It's unfathomable that I'm even in this position" to have to address this publicly. This all happened just months after herbrother's unexpected death. "Mental health is so important, and I hope those reading this now understand that what you say hiding behind a computer screen can have a detrimental impact on someone," she wrote on Instagram in September 2024. While some celebrities say their peace and then delete the post, Panettiere still has it up. The more than 3,000 comments are overwhelmingly supportive. ("Well said baby!" wrote herCustodyco-star Catalina Sandino Moreno.) It's clear the actress has an online community ready to mobilize if she should say "go." That's one positive side to the double-edged sword. So where does Panettiere's relationship with social media stand today? "There's a lot of knowledge out there, and then there can be a lot of judgment," she says. "So I think like anything else, you just try to find that balance."
