By Christina Radish
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Hayden Panettiere at the NBC All-Star Party held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on July 17, 2007.
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Hayden Panettiere stars in NBC’s hit ensemble drama series Heroes as Claire Bennet, a 17-year-old high school cheerleader in Odessa, Texas, who learned in Season 1, out on DVD and HD-DVD on August 28th, that her flesh is indestructible. In Season 2, which premieres on September 24th, Panettiere reveals to MediaBlvd Magazine that a more mature Claire will be trying to live a normal life, while learning how to navigate through her first romantic relationship.
MediaBlvd Magazine> When Season 2 picks up, where will the audience find Claire, and how do we build up to this new relationship she has with West?
Hayden Panettiere > It’s four months from where we left off, last season. Claire is really trying to get in touch with her inner teen self, once again. She hasn’t given that up, and I think it’d be a sad thing if she did. She’s struggling to fit in, but not stand out. And, obviously, they’re still hiding and running from these people. The funny thing about Claire is that, as much as she has that beautiful naivete about her, and as sweet as she is, she does have that spitfire in her. She has that sass about her. It’s fun to watch her. But, you’ll see what happens when she meets West.
MediaBlvd> When you talk about getting in touch with her inner teen, she’s not able to go all the way back to her original high school, is she? Is she asking to be an original teen on the run, or what?
Hayden> Well, she is settling somewhere in the United States. She’s trying to live a normal life for awhile. “Trying” is the key word. As we’ve seen in Heroes, we don’t succeed at what we want, all the time.
MediaBlvd> What do you think are the biggest changes in Claire?
Hayden> I think she really grew up. For awhile there, I was getting sick of crying. I don’t know about anyone else watching the show, but I was tired of seeing her cry. She just went from that naVve teenage girl who wanted what any teenager would want. She wanted to be normal, she wanted to be popular, she wanted to date the quarterback of the football team. And, over time, she realized that by dismissing her power like that, she was risking a lot of people’s lives, and that there was so much more she could do, if she just came to terms with that. So, she really evolved. She learned to stand on her own and stick up for herself. She’s matured and, hopefully, she’ll keep doing that.
MediaBlvd> Anything else, in terms of her growth?
Hayden> This season she’s really looking to figure out more about her powers -- what she can do, how far she can push it, what happens when she does it. There are still some unanswered questions for her about her ability, like how far her pain tolerance can go, or if she can actually die, if something happens. In the first season, we saw Peter with a shard of glass in the back of his head, and he did not come back to life until we pulled it. So, the question is, “How long can he survive with that piece of glass in his head before he can’t regenerate anymore?” So, I think Claire is really just pushing to find answers. That’s all I’ve seen her doing, so far. On that level, she’s just trying to figure out who she is, what she’s doing, and what she wants to do with her life and her ability.
MediaBlvd> Have you had any other thoughts or ideas for what you would like to see Claire do, in Season 2 or beyond?
Hayden> She’s come a long way from where she was in the first season. She’s matured incredibly. I think the boyfriend thing is cool. I would love to see her work with the characters that she hasn’t worked with. I’m ecstatic to work with them. I think I’ve worked with less of the cast than I have worked with. I just want to work with my castmates.
MediaBlvd> What happens to the rest of her family? Obviously, she’s with her dad, but are her mother and brother just left behind?
Hayden> No, of course not. Where would Mr. Muggles be, then? We love Mr. Muggles. I think you might see them this season.
MediaBlvd> Jack Coleman said that HRG is back up to his old tricks in Season 2. How do you feel about that dynamic coming back?
Hayden> Well, I think we all have proven that, on this show, we all have our dirty little secrets. Him becoming the house dad wouldn’t be very exciting. People like watching good bad people. Sometimes, you want to hate Jack’s character, and sometimes you love him. It’s kind of a toss-up, depending on what side you’re on. But, I think it’s exciting for him. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what’s going to happen, but as I said, everyone always has their dirty little secrets. I’m excited to see what happens with everyone. I wish I could turn bad. I’d love to be the villain.
MediaBlvd> Do you think Claire could ever go to the dark side? Is there anything that could happen that would push her there?
Hayden> In this show, anything is possible. You never know what’s going to happen. I doubt it, but anything is possible. And, that five years in the future was if New York City blew up, which it didn’t. So, there’s always that possibility.
MediaBlvd> What about playing a villain would you enjoy the most?
Hayden> I’ve always been very categorized, and sometimes typecast, because of the fact that I’m blonde. People look at me as either the popular cheerleader type, or just the blonde. When you’re blonde, you don’t play villains unless you’re Sharon Stone, and you look like that. It would just be exciting for me. People look at me as very sweet sometimes, and I would never, in a million years, describe myself as sweet. I think it would be a blast. I think it’s so much more fun to be bad. At least I could pretend to be bad, on screen.
MediaBlvd> You guys are allegedly getting two new villains this year. Do you know anything about them that you could tell us, and how is it possible to be worse than Sylar (Zachary Quinto)?
Hayden> Oh, it’s definitely possible to be worse than Sylar. Looking back, Sylar was a seemingly good person. He was just lost in the beginning, when you first found him, and then he went crazy on us. The new villains will be bad. They’ll be real bad. I think they’re freakier, in a different way. It’s a mind-trip. Sylar is very physical, and these characters are just creepier, from what I've seen of them and heard about them.
MediaBlvd> With the changes in the cast, and the additions, what has the chemistry been like on set for Season 2?
Hayden> It’s been great. We have a new character that Dania Ramirez is playing, named Maya, and she’s been really fun. And, there’s her twin brother, Shalim Ortiz. I haven’t really gotten a chance to be around them a whole lot, other than a few cast things on set, but it seems like everyone is pretty excited and thrilled to be a part of the show. It’s an already established show, and it’s been doing great. It’s a wonderful show and most of the people who have joined the cast have seen it and are just psyched to be there.
MediaBlvd> One of the really compelling things about Heroes is that it’s striving for universal themes and philosophical introductions. There’s tension in Claire’s life, between security and freedom, that we see her dad really wrestle with, and that continues with the introduction of her grandmother. Are we going to continue to see these kinds of themes in Season 2?
Hayden> She is a teenager, and all teenagers are constantly trying to push their parents away. They’re constantly trying to test the limits of their freedom and how far they can push things. It’s the same thing with Claire. She’s just doing it in a different way. It’s not about going to the mall with her friends, or going on vacations. It’s more about learning about herself and this ability and what she can do. But, it’s definitely a universal message for teenagers. All teenagers will understand that. I think that will still continue to be a battle for her, until she’s an adult. Even then, her dad’s going to want to protect her.
MediaBlvd> As an actress, how do make your character who’s virtually indestructible appear so vulnerable?
Hayden> Well, she is vulnerable. The interesting thing about her is the fact that she is a physically indestructible girl, but she’s not emotionally or mentally indestructible. That vulnerability is what makes people like her. When you approach it, as an actress, it’s just like playing any other character. You think about, “Are they vulnerable? Are they mean? Are they nice? Are they disturbed or happy?” I make her a normal teenage girl, and I actually am a teenage girl. I just approach it the way I would any other character and, when I’m acting, I forget about her abilities. That’s not something that takes a toll on it because she has no idea how to handle it, and the honest truth is that neither do I.
MediaBlvd> During Season 1, Claire got into some pretty gory predicaments. What was it like, working with all that make-up, and is that something we’re going to see more of in Season 2?
Hayden> It was very sticky. It’s actually corn syrup with red dye, so you can imagine what that does to your hair and your body, after 10-12 hours of working in it. But, it was the most fun when me and Milo got to be sticky together. It looks great, at the end of the day. It’s not always the most fun or comfortable thing to do, but that’s my job. That’s her ability. The longer she has it and the farther it goes, the less she’s conscious of it, the less she thinks about it, the less she notices that she can’t do certain things. So, trust me, you will see plenty of blood. There will be plenty of snaps, pops and crackles.
MediaBlvd> Now that everyone knows that Peter and Nathan are still alive, is there going to be an attempt on Claire’s part to get back with them and create more of a family now?Hayden> I have absolutely no idea quite yet. We have not gotten that far. They’re both dealing with really interesting storylines. But, I’m sure she hasn’t seen the last of the Petrelli’s. It is her family.
MediaBlvd> What have been some of the acting challenges for you, so far this year?
Hayden> Stepping back into the role this season, the acting challenges are all the same ones as the first season. When you’re working with amazing cast, who are such great actors, it’s kind of hard to go wrong. There’s nothing specific that stands out that’s like, “Oh, that’s really hard and I have to pretend to be this and pretend to be that.” It’s not really like that. It’s more, “Oh, I get to do this,” and “Oh, I get to do that.”
MediaBlvd> When you first signed on for this show, what exactly were your expectations? Is it surreal to know that the show and your character, and all your hard work, has had such a big impact?
Hayden> I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I’ve never been on a show, from beginning to end, and I’ve never been there for the pilot and then a full series. Especially not one like this. You never really know, no matter how good the show is or how many incredible actors are involved with it, what’s going to happen with it, or how the audience is going to take it. I saw incredible shows, this past season, that were not accepted by the audience, and it wasn’t because they weren’t good enough. People didn’t like them and people just didn’t grab them like they did other shows. We were shooting for so long before the show actually aired, that we started thinking either it’s on the air already and it’s doing well because we’re still here, or we’re just doing this for shits and giggles and it’s never airing.
MediaBlvd> Did the overwhelming popularity of the show take you by surprise? Were you expecting this wave of adulation?
Hayden> You never really expect that kind of success for yourself, or think that you’re going to be a part of anything like that. But, at the same time, we thought it would do great. Anything is possible in this business. We thought it would do wonderful and we had some confidence in it, but the night before the premiere, we were like, “Oh, God, we could not do well.” Everything in this business is a toss-up.
MediaBlvd> If you had any clue in advance, would it have been almost a paralyzing, daunting thing to take on, or would you have been like, “Yeah, bring it on!”?
Hayden> I’m usually like, “Yeah, bring it on!” I have my castmates and my family, and I love them to death. I wouldn’t trade them or my job or this show for anything. I still would have taken it on.
MediaBlvd> Other than paparazzi chasing you everywhere, how has your life changed since Heroes? What has the show brought you?
Hayden> It’s been great. It’s been fun. I have a whole new family, made of lots of brothers. And, now I have two dads. It’s been a blast. It’s been everything I could have ever dreamed of. You could never have imagined something like this for yourself. You just don’t expect that kind of success for yourself.
MediaBlvd> How do you handle the pressures, on screen and off, that come with being an young actress?
Hayden> I think that I approach acting, because it’s something that I love, as something that I respect, and something that makes me want to be respected for what I do. I’m working towards being a respected actress and, in order to be a respected actress, there are certain things you just can’t do. Unfortunately, in this business, when people start getting all those perks, and they head down the wrong road, they can lose track of what’s important. The business and their job has become more about that than about their craft. They forget about their love of the craft, and sometimes it causes people to slack off and lose focus. I love my craft, and I love what I do. I want to mature in it and get better at it, every time I do it. In the future, I want to be looked at as a respected actress.
MediaBlvd> With everything that you’ve gone through this past year on the show, how has that changed the way you view what people have to go through, working on a weekly series like this?
Hayden> I would have had no idea what to expect. I did do Ally McBeal’s first season, but I was 12. It was an hour show, but it was just a totally different groove. I wasn’t in it everyday and I wasn’t one of the major characters. It’s been crazy. But, this show is probably unlike any show that anyone shoots, because we shoot it like a movie. It’s like we’re doing a full-length feature film, every day. In that regard, my past feature film career has most definitely prepared me for that. There’s no place I’d rather be. I love my cast, and I love my crew.
MediaBlvd> In this industry, there’s rules for minors about the hours that you can work. So, how will turning 18 change your life on the set?
Hayden> I can now work 16 hours or18 hours. It’s awesome. But, that actually started happening when I graduated. I’m working those hours right now. At 18, there are more stunts that I can do, which I’m ecstatic about. There were certain stunts that they wouldn’t let me do because I was a minor, and this next season I get to do them.
MediaBlvd> Any plans on moving out of your parents’ house, now that you’re turning 18?
Hayden> No. I don’t think it’s necessary to live on my own at 18.
MediaBlvd> What sort of special extras did you get involved with for the DVD release, and was it your first time doing that type of stuff?
Hayden> There are commentaries and there’s a ton of deleted scenes, which I didn’t knowingly participate in. They are about 50 deleted scenes that were never used. Looking back at it now, it’s incredible how many scenes you just totally forget were deleted. You’re like, “Oh, that’s where that scene went!” It’s really fun to watch because it’s only an hour show and, especially with the pilot and stuff, you have such limited time to explain all this information that you need to know before you can really get into the gut of the show. It really explains other characters and it goes more in-depth into other things that we unfortunately didn’t have time for. But, I think I’d done a commentary on the movie Ice Princess before.
MediaBlvd> What’s your favorite feature on the DVD? What would you recommend to watch first?
Hayden> It would depend on whether someone has seen the show or not. If they haven’t seen the show, I would say watch the unaired two-hour pilot first. And then, maybe the deleted scenes. There are some goofy commentaries. Everything on it is great. People will people have fun with it because there’s a lot of stuff on it.
MediaBlvd> While you guys have been filming Season 2, have there been any bloopers or embarrassing moments that have happened, that particularly stand out for you?
Hayden> Oh, my gosh, it’s countless. There is a season-and-a-half of bloopers and you want me to pick one? Oh, lord. Aside from people’s line stumbles and mumbles, I don’t know. The thing about this set is that, as much fun as we have, we still have to move at a really fast pace to keep up. It doesn’t really give people much of a chance to play pranks. But, there are constant line jumble-ups. And then, of course, laughing takes place and you can’t stop long enough to get the lines right or do the scenes.
MediaBlvd> Who’s the actor you feel the closest to in the cast?
Hayden> That’s hard. I have no idea. They’re all so different. Adrian Pasdar is like the big brother. He’s the funniest guy, and he’s the leader. I think he’s already planned a dinner in Paris, at one of the top restaurants in the world. Greg Grunberg’s a goofball. Milo Ventimiglia is more of the flirt. Sendhil Ramamurthy’s great. And then, there’s Masi Oka. There are just so many different personalities. Everyone is so different, but so great. I was about to say that everyone has a crush on either Milo or Sendhil, but then I look at Greg and Adrian and Masi, and everyone has a crush on them, too. We’ve got a cast full of heartthrobs. Ali Larter and I have to stick together. I’m very close to Jack Coleman. I get to work with him a lot. He’s so much fun. He’s such a bright man. It’s fun to be around somebody like that, who is bright, but fun, at the same time. And, there’s Ashley Crow, who plays my mom. Zach Quinto, who plays Syler, is a good friend, too. They all just have their own individual personalities, and it’s such a hoot when you get together.
MediaBlvd> How has working with such a large cast helped you with your craft?
Hayden> It’s not only a large cast, but it’s a large cast of really good actors. When you’re around such good actors, you really want to bring yourself up. You’re constantly working to bring yourself up to their level, and to strive to be better. At the same time, with this show, because we don’t always get a chance to work with each other, it’s almost like showing off, every time you get to work with them, since you haven’t worked with them and you’re so excited to. They make you want to be better.
MediaBlvd> What are you most looking forward to with the upcoming Heroes World Tour?Hayden> I’m going with Milo, Jack and Adrian, and I’m looking forward to getting out of this country, or at least California. I’m so serious. I’ll be 18, and I think it’ll be exciting. It’ll be fun just to get away and be with my cast members. I can’t even imagine. Just seeing those beautiful countries, and being able to be there and stay at the top hotels in Paris and London and Munich. What more could I ask for, honestly? I’m excited to have time with my castmates. We haven’t really spent that kind of time together. We see each other all the time, and we do spend a ton of time together, but not consecutive days. We’ll see who’s mad at each other by the end of the trip, how many fights there have been an how many people are cranky.
MediaBlvd> Is there a superpower that you think would benefit you, as a young Hollywood star?
Hayden> The ability to be invisible. Obviously, we can blame most of it on the people who are doing the bad things that they’re not supposed to be doing. But, at the same time, when you’ve got cameras in your face all the time, it leaves you no room to mess up, even slightly, and things get turned around on you. So, if I could walk out my door or drive my car from my house, and not be followed by paparazzi, I’d be a very happy person.
MediaBlvd> Have you ever been as obsessed with anything, personally, as people seem to be with Heroes?
Hayden> Not really, no. There’s some definite obsession going on with Heroes, which is fine by me. But, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that. I wish I have, but I’ve never felt that.
MediaBlvd> Who is your hero, either from the cast and crew, or your life?
Hayden> My family are my heroes. Meryl Streep was one of my heroes. She’s one of my favorite actresses. And, all of my castmates are my heroes. Everyone I love are my heroes. Everyone I look up to, and I look up to all my castmates. I look up to my family. And, I look up to Meryl Streep, and what she did with her career and how diverse it was and how well she pulled it off. The grace she has doing it and how humble she is, is really incredible. She’s just somebody that you want to emulate.
MediaBlvd> Is there anything specific that you would like to see with the video game that they’re developing from the show? Do you know if you’ll have any involvement with it?
Hayden> I have no idea what the layout would be. I don’t know what it would look like. I’m ecstatic. My cousin actually made me my first action figure. It’s not real, but he did a really cool job. It’s sitting on my shelf. It’s always fun to see what they do with your character and, with the video game, it will be interesting to see what kind of animation they use. I would love to be involved with it. Other than that, I have no idea.
MediaBlvd> What’s going on with your singing right now? Are you preparing to release an album?
Hayden> Yes, and hopefully it will be coming out soon. I have to find the time to promote it.
