Before her tragic passing, Hayden Panettiere had a chance to be a part of one of Taylor Sheridan’s most successful shows outside of the Yellowstone universe.
The world woke up to some very sad news today. Actress Hayden Panettiere, who is best known for her roles on shows such as Heroes, Nashville, and Remember The Titans, has died at just 36 years old. Panettiere’s father provided this statement to ABC News about his daughter’s passing:
“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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Such a sad and heartbreaking loss.
Hayden Panettiere had been in the acting world since she was an infant. Her first commercial came before she turned 1, and her first real acting gig came when she was just 4-years-old. That led to many different memorable roles across the years, and one opportunity that Panettiere couldn’t believe she was getting to audition for.
In an interview with US Weekly from last year, she revealed that she almost joined one of Taylor Sheridan’s big series:
“There was one audition I was supposed to do for ‘Landman.’ Ali Larter’s role is what I was reading for, and as much as I wanna work with Taylor Sheridan — who’s just genius and, the creation of his characters and their relationships and stuff, he really is a genius — I was like, ‘There’s no way I am getting this.’”
Though it would have been a dream to work with Sheridan, Panettiere felt as though she didn’t have a real shot, so she decided not to audition for the oil drama that eventually took the world by storm.
Later in the interview, she admitted that she wishes she would have still gone for it… because often times in auditions, actors and actresses may not get the role they were going for, but the casting director might see them as perfect for something else:
“I have to be careful to not pigeonhole myself as an actor. (I have to) not judge what I am capable of or judge what others think that I know what others are gonna be looking for. You have to go for it. I’m just trying not to get out of my own way… I can be a fool sometimes for not just doing it.”
I’m sure Panettiere would have been great in the role, or in any Taylor Sheridan show, but it’s kind of hard to imagine Landman without Ali Larter now. Also, Hayden was only in her mid-thirties and looks young enough to play Tommy Norris’ daughter. Playing his ex wife (Billy is 71 years old) feels like quite a stretch.
Many times in her career, Panettiere absolutely went for it with her roles, and created some very memorable characters that will be cherished for years to come. Obviously, her breakout moment was in the NBC Heroes series. That put her on the map, and playing Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise also ended up being a standout role for the actress.
But many will always know her as the country star she portrayed in the hit ABC series Nashville: Juliette Barnes. And she had the voice to back it up too. Impressively, Panettiere actually charted 11 different songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list. So in a way, she wasn’t just playing a country star on TV… she was one.
RIP Hayden Panettiere.
