Movies

Scream VI star Hayden Panettiere worried she could no longer act after 4-year break

'It was daunting, honestly,' says the Heroes and Nashville actress of her return as franchise fan favorite Kirby Reed.

By

Published on March 9, 2023 08:28PM EST

Hayden Panettiere accrued fans playing Claire Bennet in Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville, but to horror movie lovers, she will always be high school student Kirby Reed from 2011's Wes Craven-directed Scream 4.

"It's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life and my career," Panettiere says of accepting the role.

"Wes was so warm and kind, and considerate, and like a father," Panettiere continues, describing what it was like to work with Craven, who directed the first four Scream movies and died in 2015. "He takes his time to teach you how to do a horror movie, how to work with the timing, the anticipation. He's like, 'It might seem long to you, it might seem like it takes too long to you, but the timing has to be perfect.' He taught me the art of that. He was a wonderful human being."

Panettiere has endured some tough times in the years since working with Craven. Last July, she spoke to PEOPLE magazine about battling depression and addiction, struggles that had led her to rehab and a four-year absence from our screens. Then, just last month, Panettiere's brother, Jansen, passed away at the age of 28 as the result of heart issues.

Hayden Panettiere attends the world premiere of Paramount's "Scream VI" at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on March 06, 2023 in New York City. — Hayden Panettiere. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Speaking to EW at a New York hotel, the actress is an understandably quiet but still enthusiastic presence as she talks of Kirby Reed's return in the just-released Scream VI.

"It's bigger and better and gorier than ever," Panettiere, 33, says of the movie directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. "It's in the red zone!"

Kirby was last seen bleeding out at the end of Scream 4, having been stabbed by Kieran Culkin's killer, but was never actually pronounced dead. When Panettiere learned that the Scream franchise was being rebooted, she got in touch with the behind-the-scenes team and made it clear that she would be happy to reprise her fan-favorite role.

"I called them," she says. "When I heard that they were doing Scream 5, I called them, and I said, 'By the way, I might be alive still! And I might be useful! Please, if there is a way, bring me back!'"

Last year's Scream included a shot of a YouTube video that identified Kirby as a "Woodsboro survivor," setting up Panettiere's proper return in Scream VI, her first acting gig in almost half a decade.

"It was daunting, honestly," she says. "I was a little bit worried. I was worried that I couldn't act anymore. I mean, I took four years off. I had to remind myself of what I could do and to make sure that I could still do it. But I knew I made the right decision. This was the best, the best first movie back that I could have dreamt of. It was like coming home. I was 21 when I did Scream 4, and Wes Craven, the whole cast, the whole crew, it was such a family. I was hoping to find the same thing here, and I very definitely did. Matt and Tyler and the whole cast. I mean, just incredible, just incredible people."

Hayden Panettiere (“Kirby Reed”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI." — Hayden Panettiere in 'Scream VI.'. Philippe Bossé/Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

Panettiere's Scream VI costar Mason Gooding describes working with Panettiere as "a dream come true. I don't know if anyone knows this, maybe because of her petite stature, but she's a badass through and through. I think if anyone were to run into Ghostface and come out unscathed, it would be Hayden. She has a very powerful persona and mindset."

Scream VI reveals that Kirby has become an FBI agent, always on alert for the return of Ghostface.

"She wants the monsters to be afraid of her," says Panettiere. "She made it through, and she comes back, and what does somebody do after they've been through trauma? They either go and lock all their doors and hide in the cupboards, or they come out fighting, and she came out fighting."

The film also makes clear that Kirby remains a fan of horror films, just like the woman who plays the character.

"I love scary movies. I love being able to scare myself," says Panettiere. "You know, you go through that period of, like, you get your first scare, and then you become numb to it, and then I really went for it. I tried to figure out what really truly scared me, and I watched all the horror movies, and there's some frightening stuff out there, but I like to be scared, as long as I'm not alone."

Pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to Scream, available online

Related content: