Hayden Panettiere ‘was struggling’ on set of final film, former costar Justin Chatwin says

Shelby StivaleTue, August 18, 2026 at 1:49 PM UTC

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Hayden Panettiere; Justin ChatwinCredit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Amanda Edwards/GettyKey Points -

Hayden Panettiere’s former costar Justin Chatwin spoke out about her death.

The Shameless alum told PEOPLE she was “struggling” on the set of their film, Sleepwalker.

Their movie was released earlier this year.

Hayden Panettiere “was struggling” on the set of her final film.

The late actress starred in the thriller Sleepwalker, which was released this past January, alongside Justin Chatwin. When filming the movie late last year, Chatwin — who previously worked with Panettiere on Heroes — noticed that she “seemed different.”

Chatwin clarified that he and Panettiere “hit it off” during an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s sister site PEOPLE, published on Aug. 17. The actor said he “really loved working” with Panettiere, but noted that she was “really lonely.”

“It was an awesome shoot, but it was about domestic abuse and it was subject matter that may have hit close to home, because she did mention it,” Chatwin said. “She opened up to me about a lot of things.”

Hayden Panettiere in 2022Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

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Panettiere detailed her “traumatic” four-year relationship with ex Brian Hickerson in her This Is Me memoir, published this past May. Hickerson spent 13 days in jail after a 2020 arrest for four felony charges of “corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant.”

Per Chatwin, when they were filming Sleepwalker, the actress spoke to him about “struggles that she’s had with trauma” throughout her life.

“She had a beautiful heart. But we’re trained to be on, and I really liked spending time with her because she took that off,” the Shamelessalum told PEOPLE. “She was authentic with me about her life and she opened up about her struggles with addiction.”

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News broke on Aug. 16 that Panettiere died at age 36. Coroner Mike Ellis told EW in a statement on Monday that Panettiere was found “unresponsive” and “in cardiac arrest” when authorities arrived on scene in the early afternoon. Ellis confirmed that “advanced cardiac life support measures” were administered before the actress was declared dead. There were “no signs of trauma” that “would have contributed to the death,” according to Ellis’ autopsy, which was completed on Monday.

“The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies. This investigation remains active and ongoing,” Ellis stated. “No further details are available for release at this time.”

Griff Furst, who directed Panettiere in the 2025 movie A Breed Apart, echoed Chatwin’s sentiment in a two-minute-long Instagram video. He claimed that, despite being “incredibly sweet,” Panettiere was “not okay” on the film’s set.

“I’m not going to get into the details,” Furst claimed. “But having worked on over 100 movies and seen just about everything, it was pretty clear that she wasn’t okay, and the energy in her room was pretty dark.”

As Furst continued his video, the filmmaker claimed that Panettiere was “getting better” and they even discussed the possibility of working together again.

“She really was incredible,” he added. “She was a force to be reckoned with and when we did this movie, that was definitely still in there but there was something else in there too that made it a lot harder to reach.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

on Entertainment Weekly

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