By Christina Radish
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Hayden Panettiere at the NBC All-Star party held at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. on January 17, 2007 |
The NBC television series Heroes returns this week, with new stories, new cast members and a new slogan, “Are you on the list?,”that promises new opportunities for these special individuals to cross paths.
One of the few break-out hits of the season, the show, from creator/writer Tim Kring, is an epic drama that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover that they possess extraordinary abilities. As the high school cheerleader who learns that she is totally indestructible, 17-year-old New York native Hayden Panettiere promises MediaBlvd Magazine that there will be plenty of new twists before the shows finished its first season.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Is there more job security for you, knowing your character is indestructible?
Hayden Panettiere> No, because they remind us every day that anyone could go. It probably helps to be indestructible, but we’ve also realized that the key to these people’s powers lies in their brain, so with Syler (played by Zachary Quinto) taking their brain, that would most likely give Claire the ability to die. The question really is, “Can Claire die? How long can her body survive enough to regenerate before she really dies?” My character dies all the time, so I feel like Kenny in South Park, like “Oh, my God, they killed Claire!”
MediaBlvd> Does the physical aspect of your role come easy for you?
Hayden> I think so. I hope so. Both my parents played a lot of sports, and I played a lot of sports, when I was younger.
MediaBlvd> Was it creepy to watch that scene when you lying on the autopsy table?
Hayden> It wasn’t as creepy, when you’re there and actually wearing it. It’s like seeing a horror film. When you’ve done it, you’re just like, “Yeah, well, whatever.”
MediaBlvd> What was your first thought, when you realized your character was going to wake up on an autopsy table?
Hayden> I thought, “Damn, that’s fun.” Or, perhaps, “I get to lie down. Yey!” It was a little cold, sitting in my bra and underwear on a freezing cold autopsy table. But, it was fun and it was gory. We like grossing people out. I was like, “Give me a little extra make-up, so I look cute ‘cause people really need to be able to get over this whole losing limbs thing. They’re going to think I’m disgusting.”
MediaBlvd> Didn’t you get notes, at the beginning of the show, to tone down the gore, especially with your character?
Hayden> Yeah. We had a little thing with a garbage disposal, in the beginning, but I think it was more the garbage disposal company that was having trouble with it. They weren’t very happy. But, it’s fun. We like to have fun. We like to gross people out a bit, but not too much. They want them to keep coming back.
MediaBlvd> How easy or hard is acting with make-up appliances for the gory injuries?
Hayden> It’s not that bad. It can be distracting because you’re usually concentrating on trying to pop something back in, wipe something back off, or put something back together. But, usually what the scene revolves around is quick and relatively easy, for the most part.
MediaBlvd> Will the next few episodes deal with Claire’s search for her birth parents?
Hayden> It feels like we’re starting a new season. It’s been so incredible. In these episodes, the writing, the acting and the characters have made this huge leap, and it’s amazing. My character is definitely running down that road of trying to discover who she is, where she comes from, who here parents are, and whether or not she’s alone. You realize that it’s a very small world, and people have these very odd connections. There are a couple big turns coming up.
MediaBlvd> Are you just as excited as the fans are to see what’s going to happen, when you get a new script?Hayden> Oh, absolutely. We went to Las Vegas and we were sitting in the airport and one of our producers, Dennis Hammer, had the script for episode 118, which we hadn’t read yet because it was the next episode. I kept trying to get it from him, and he was relentless. He would not give it to me. As soon as he turned around, Sendhil and Masi said, “Hey, take the script!” I took it and hid it, but of course, I didn’t read it because I felt too bad. But, they do that so that the scripts are really ready by the time we read them. And, even when we do read them, we get pink page revisions, blue page revisions and yellow page revision, so it turns into a rainbow, anyway.
MediaBlvd> Do you give the writers any suggestions, as to what you’d like to see happen with Claire?
Hayden> No. They have it way under control. I think they’re really great with bending towards our characters and really learning about us, and how certain people react to each other. I’ve been in this business for 17 years and I could not tell them anything to do.
MediaBlvd> Were you surprised that the whole “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” slogan became a tagline?
Hayden> I was very surprised. I was completely taken aback. I had no idea. It was flattering. It was very cool that it became a catch phrase.
MediaBlvd> How central will Claire be now that the “Save the cheerleader” thing is resolved?
Hayden> I don’t know if it is resolved yet. There is always the fear of getting lost in an ensemble piece, but this show does an incredible job of giving everyone their time in the spotlight.
MediaBlvd> You’ve been in this business for 17 years?
Hayden> I started in this nutty business when I was eight months old. Actually, they filmed me coming out [of the womb]. No, I’m kidding. I’m joking.
MediaBlvd> What was your first big break?
Hayden> Remember the Titans was pretty big for me. There were a bunch of things, from Ice Princess and Racing Stripes, to things like Normal and Lies My Mother Told Me. But, this has really been the thing that got me over that hump, which you often catch yourself on, no matter how long you’re in this business.
MediaBlvd> The transition from child actor to adult actor can be hard. What is your secret?
Hayden> I think you have to surround yourself with good people. You just have to be smart about what you do. You only live once. Live it up.
MediaBlvd> Were you surprised by how quickly this show hit with the audience?
Hayden> It was actually really funny because we had filmed it so long before it ever came out. We would go to our set at Sunset-Gower Studios, where pigeons make noise during the takes and there’s dirt everywhere, and we would think, “Either this show is on the air and it’s doing perfectly fine because we haven’t heard about it and we’re not off the air since we’re still filming, or it’s never going to show at all and we’re just doing it for shits and giggles and it’s all for a good laugh.” And then, when it came on television, it was like, “Oh, that episode? It’s going to be so much better now. Hurry up and show the rest of them.” There was a long period of time there that we didn’t air. I don’t think you ever really expect that success for yourself, but I think everyone deserves it. I think the show is incredible and I almost feel like it’s separate from me. I’m a part of it, but in and of itself, it’s amazing.
MediaBlvd> What’s it been like for you to suddenly become so famous?
Hayden> It’s interesting. It’s fun. It’s a new thing. I know things are happening when I walk out of my apartment and there are two cars full of paparazzi who actually followed me home. It was a scary feeling. I was by myself, I had a handful of things, and I said to one of them, “Oh, my God, you just scared me to death,” and he was like, “I’m sorry.” I turned to get in my car, and there was another person down the street who actually followed me all the way to work, and started running red lights. I was calling my parents, going, “Oh, my God, I don’t know what to do!” I didn’t know whether to be completely flattered, which I was, or nervous about it.
MediaBlvd> Do you have a bodyguard go out with you?
Hayden> No. I think it was Muhammad Ali who used to say that, when you have bodyguards, people want to get to you more, they fight harder, and it becomes really dangerous. If you give yourself to the public, it’s almost like they become your protection. I don’t think bodyguards are very necessary. It’s not like I go wandering down dark alleys at night, by myself. I usually have friends with me, and people are usually very courteous. Hopefully, no one really thinks I’m invincible and tries to do something rash.
MediaBlvd> Were you ever hesitant about doing a television series?Hayden> I was. For a long time, I just wanted to do film. It’s tough, putting yourself in the position of doing a TV series, especially when it’s an ensemble cast like this. There’s the potential of being on it for six years, and missing out on movies because you’re not available anymore. But, I thought it was a time in my life to do it. I didn’t want to wait until I got too old to do it. And, I needed to finish school, so it helped me with that. I have a constant tutor. I’m in my last year of school.
MediaBlvd> When is your album coming out?
Hayden> It’s being pushed, so it might be around August.
MediaBlvd> You have all these things going on at once. Is it difficult to balance everything?
Hayden> It is, but I’m surrounded by really amazing people who know how to deal with it. It’s just about maintaining the balance between work and pleasure, and finding time for relaxation.
MediaBlvd> What do you say to girls who look up to you?
Hayden> Beauty is what lies within. It’s in your mind and it’s in your heart. Beauty’s an opinion, not a fact, which I think is a really good thing to keep in mind, always. They can do whatever they want to do, as long as they put everything into it and they find their power within.
MediaBlvd> What makes a hero, in your eyes?
Hayden> My dad was a lieutenant in the fire department in New York City. He actually retired six months before 9/11 happened. He was on the department for 20 or 21 years. That’s a hero -- normal people who save the world, and save people, every day.
