Hayden Panettiere’s ‘Sleepwalker’ Co-Star Reveals She Was ‘Lonely’ and ‘Struggling’ on Final Film Set
Hayden Panettiere’s final film is Sleepwalker, a psychological thriller about a mother dealing with the loss of her child. Panettiere admitted that she pulled from her real life during filming, which wasn’t always easy. Her co-star said that she appeared to be struggling on set.
Hayden Panettiere’s co-star spoke about her demeanor on set of ‘Sleepwalker’
Panettiere starred in Sleepwalker, a film about a mother who experiences frightening visions after her daughter dies in a car accident. The accident also leaves her abusive husband in a coma. Her co-star, Justin Chatwin, said that these subjects seemed to hit close to home for Panettiere.
“We hit it off great, and 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,” he told People. “She opened up to me about a lot of things.”
Panettiere has spoken openly about the domestic violence in her relationship with Brian Hickerson. She also gave up custody of her daughter, Kaya, amid her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction.
“Hayden seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years,” Chatwin said. “I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood — it takes, and it takes from youth.”
Chatwin said that while he enjoyed his time working with Panettiere, he could tell she was lonely. He didn’t think that the film’s content was entirely behind this.
“I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie,’” Chatwin said. “There’s a handful of women that I’ve worked with that I really liked, and I really loved working with her, but I also know that she was really lonely.”
Hayden Panettiere said filming ‘Sleepwalker’ was difficult but rewarding
Panettiere said that many of the topics touched on in Sleepwalker hit close to home for her.
“Guilt and loss, they’re topics that I’m familiar with, so I had a lot to pull from my real life,” she told Moviefone. “I mean, we did this film in 15 days, which was a breakneck pace. We had a lot to get done, and it was very dark. But I was surrounded by such a great team of people that we were able to pull each other in and out of those dark scenes and those dark moments and have light moments.”
Her character’s struggles required her to stay in a dark place. Even with the brightness of the cast and crew, Panettiere said that this could be challenging. Still, she is glad she made the film.
“Keeping that level of heightened emotions and staying in such a dark emotional place definitely is challenging and can be exhausting, but is ultimately rewarding for me,” she said in an interview with Fox News.
Sleepwalker was released in January 2026.
