Hayden Panettiere’s Final Movie Costar Opens Up About Their Last Time Together: “I Could Tell She Was Struggling”

Justin Chatwin, who starred alongside Hayden Panettiere in her final movie before her sudden death at 36, has shared a deeply personal reflection on the actress and the difficult moments he witnessed while they worked together.

Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and the Scream franchise, died on August 16, 2026, after being found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Authorities are continuing to investigate her death.

Justin Chatwin Remembers Their Final Collaboration

Chatwin and Panettiere first crossed paths years earlier, during the actress’s breakout period on the superhero drama Heroes. The two later reunited for Sleepwalker, a psychological thriller that became Panettiere’s final movie role.

In the film, Panettiere portrayed a woman dealing with the devastating loss of her daughter following a tragic car crash.

Chatwin said the two connected during production and described their time working together as a positive experience. However, he also noticed a change in Panettiere compared with when they first met.

“She seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years,” Chatwin shared.

A Difficult Role With Personal Connections

While filming Sleepwalker, Panettiere opened up about some of the challenges she had faced in her own life, including her experiences with addiction recovery and trauma.

The actress had previously spoken publicly about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. In 2018, she gave full custody of her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, to her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, during a difficult period in her life.

Chatwin, who has been sober for 15 years, said he understood the struggles that can come with addiction and reflected on the pressures of Hollywood.

He explained that Panettiere’s emotional state seemed to go beyond the film itself.

“I could tell she was struggling,” he said, adding that he did not believe it was simply because of the movie’s subject matter. He also described her as someone he truly enjoyed working with, but who appeared to be “really lonely.”

Remembering Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy

Before her death, Panettiere had made a significant return to acting, appearing in Scream VI in 2023 — her first major on-screen role since Nashville ended in 2018.

In May 2026, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, where she opened up about personal experiences, including addiction, trauma, and other challenges throughout her life.

After Scream VI, Panettiere appeared in additional projects, including Sleepwalker, and also lent her voice to the video game Until Dawn.

Filmmaker Pays Tribute

Brandon Auman, the writer and director of Sleepwalker, also paid tribute following Panettiere’s death, remembering her as a thoughtful and deeply introspective person.

He said their conversations during filming about her life and how it connected to the character she played would remain private, but he described Panettiere as someone with remarkable honesty and emotional depth.

Chatwin also expressed sadness over losing another talented performer and questioned the pressures faced by people working in Hollywood.

For fans around the world, Hayden Panettiere will be remembered not only for her unforgettable performances, but also for the strength and honesty she showed throughout her life and career.