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Twenty years after Heroes premiered, executive producer Tim Kring and castmate Jack Coleman recall how the show's team protected Hayden Panettiere, whose death from a toxic mix of fentanyl and other drugs was ruled accidental.
Hayden Panettiere died last month in South Carolina at age 36 from a toxic mix of fentanyl and other drugs, authorities said this week, and the Greenville County Coroner's Office has ruled the death accidental.
Heroes Marks 20th Anniversary Since Panettiere
Her death spurred an outpouring of tributes from fans and former costars alike. The news comes as the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes marks 20 years since its premiere on September 26, 2006. The show, about humans who discover they have incredible abilities, was one of the most lauded new shows of 2006. Panettiere played indestructible cheerleader Claire and delivered one of the most memorable lines in the first episode.
Asked how her day was, she deadpans: I walked through fire, and I didn't get burned. It wasn't a metaphor. The character had saved a man from dying in an inferno and walked away unscathed. Her mother, unaware of the literal nature of the comment, compliments her daughter for what she interpreted to be a profound comment about life.
The moment lands with equal parts heaviness and humor, because then-16-year-old Panettiere nailed her delivery. Executive producer Tim Kring recalled that Panettiere had an extraordinary gift for landing emotional beats. She could toggle between doing these very emotional scenes and whatever was going on in her personal life, Kring said.
Between the takes, she would be texting somebody and then the second that they're ready to roll camera, the phone would go back into her pocket and she'd be sobbing in the scene over and over again. Kring recalled that her costars would often stop to watch her film her scenes and marvel at her ability to turn extreme emotions on and off like a light switch.
Kring Recalls Panettiere Extraordinary Emotional Gift
For Kring, the pilot is a rich bank of fond memories that have taken on deeper meaning since her death. In a stacked cast that included Zachary Quinto, Masi Oka and Milo Ventimiglia, all playing ordinary people from different parts of the world whose lives intertwine after they discover they have superpowers, it was obvious from the early days that Panettiere's real-life abilities were something special.
Like many have recalled in the weeks since her death, Panettiere had a gift, even if, like her Heroes character, it at times came with isolating pressures. The first season of Heroes was a hit, bringing in over 14 million viewers on average. That was a towering number for the pre-streaming era when network TV ruled the airwaves.
The series catapulted Panettiere to household name status, and the pressures of being NBC's most sought after new star came with heavy baggage. She may have been playing someone unbreakable, but, she said in 2006, at the end of the day, I am still a normal teenage girl who's making mistakes still in her life and trying to find where I am as a person and growing into an adult.
Panettiere Found Heroes Set Safe Haven
Later, she would remember the Heroes set as a safe haven from the turmoil she was facing in her personal life, including a fractured relationship with her mother. My saving grace is that I couldn't be messy while on-set and working, she said in 2022. But, off-set, she said things just kept getting out of control. And as I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without.
Panettiere developed some pivotal relationships with her costars, forming one of the strongest bonds with her on-screen dad played by Jack Coleman. Their real-life chemistry quickly became apparent to Kring, who came to realize that Claire's relationship with her father would become the central touchstone of the entire show, a sentiment he stands by two decades later. Kring said the cast collectively felt a certain responsibility to look out for Panettiere.
The actress acknowledged this herself in an interview just a few months before her death, saying that the cast really kept me grounded at a very pivotal time in my life. Child actors have often troubled relationships at home, and I don't think it's any secret that there was some of that with Hayden, Kring said. I think we all naturally kind of built a little bit of a wall around her and felt very protective of her.
Former Heroes Costars Unite to Celebrate Panettiere
Dozens of her former castmates shared tributes in the days after her death, and several of those who worked with her on Heroes even came together for a deeply emotional reunion to celebrate Panettiere's life. In a poignant tribute he posted on Instagram when Panettiere died, Coleman touched on witnessing the challenges that she faced, all while serving as a source of joy on set and being a role model for his own daughter who is close in age to Panettiere.
I've loved Hayden since day one of the pilot of Heroes, he wrote. We laughed a lot. That shining face, that megawatt smile, that wasn't just for the camera. That was her.
She glowed. It's typical to audition several actors for each available role during the casting process, but Kring struggled to remember if anyone else had been in contention to play Claire. In my mind, there's nobody. I can't remember a single other person auditioning, he said.
It was undeniable from the minute that you met her, Kring recalled, that she was meant for that role.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Hayden Panettiere Heroes NBC Tim Kring Jack Coleman Greenville County Coroner
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