Following the end of Nashville, Hayden Panettiere took a physical, mental, and spiritual health break from acting. Now she is returning to reprise her Scream 4 role as Kirby in Scream VI, which slashes theaters this week. On an appearance on Good Morning America, she opened up about this journey to go back to the slasher and the hiatus she took from working.
The star has been known for her roles in Scream 4, Until Dawn, Nashville, Heroes, and more. After all that work and substance abuse problems that she had previously opened up about last year, Hayden Panettiere looked back on her mental health break as something necessary.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. I did have to take those four years off, and thank god I did. I had to work on myself – my mental health, my physical health, my spiritual health. And then when [Scream] popped up and came back around, I was like, ‘I want to be a part of that again because I hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willer her back into existence and I called them [directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett].”
Hayden Panettiere on her mental health break from acting and Scream VI
Kirby was a character who survived the slaughtering of her friends and classmates in Scream 4. The character was seen on a suggested video on YouTube in Scream (2022) when Richie (Jack Quaid) was watching videos about the controversial Stab 8, the fictional film series that is based on the various Ghostface murders. Fans jumped with joy and crossed their fingers that the beloved character would return. Now, their wish, along with the star’s, will come to the big screen later this week.
Currently, Hayden Panettiere has no other projects after Scream VI following the end of her mental health hiatus. As horror and the Scream series is at an all-time high, calls will likely come in at any point.
Scream VI sees the surviving cast – Melissa Barrera’s Sam, Jenna Ortega’s Terra, Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy, and Mason Gooding’s Chad – go to New York City to escape the death they faced in Woodsboro. They reunite with Courtney Cox’s Gail Weathers and the Nashville star’s Kirby to survive a new Ghostface, who is more ruthless and aggressive than any previous killer.
Scream VI stabs in theaters on March 10.
