Before her tragic death last week, Hayden Panettiere had recently spoken about the fact that she had a conversation with the actress who replaced her in David Fincher’s 2002 thriller “Panic Room.” She was initially set to play Sarah Altman, the daughter of Jodie Foster’s character Meg Altman. However, the role ultimately went to Kristen Stewart.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May, Panettiere explained that she was first cast in the film. At that time, she was set to star opposite Nicole Kidman but the older actress was forced to pull out due to an injury. This prompted a recasting of the protagonist, with Foster brought in.
It was this decision that ultimately led to Panettiere leaving the project, as the filmmakers didn’t believe she looked enough like Foster to authentically portray her daughter on screen. Now, Panettiere has revealed that she had a chance encounter with Stewart and the pair discussed the casting changes for the film in their first meeting more than 20 years later.
Hayden Panettiere Eventually Spoke to Kristen Stewart About the Recasting
Panettiere was already an established child actor before “Panic Room” but she understood how important it would be for her career. She was also excited to appear alongside Foster, who she admits was something of a hero for her. Unfortunately, Panettiere was not deemed a good likeness for “The Silence of the Lambs” actress and considered too short.
According to Panettiere, she had already met with Fincher and believed she had the part, but filmmakers eventually decided she was too short to convincingly play Foster’s daughter. The role instead went to Stewart, who was around 11 when the movie was filmed.
“I don’t think I’ve told anybody this, but I actually got to hang out with Kristen Stewart for the first time in my life the other night,” Panettiere said. “I brought it up and we talked about it and she could not have been nicer.”
According to Panettiere, the “Twilight” star knew the situation when she landed the role and was glad she didn’t go into filming blind to what had happened. “I don’t think I told her that it was in the book, so it’ll be a surprise for her, but I just thought that was so funny that I just have had that experience with her,” Panettiere added.
Hayden Panettiere’s Mother Reveals Reason for Her Early Life in Show Business
During a recent interview, Panettiere’s mother Lesley Vogel explained why she pushed her into a life in show business at a very young age. Panettiere was just 8 months old when she became involved in her first modelling job and she would then go on to feature in commercials before her acting career took off.
“She started with Wilhelmina at eight months old because she’s a beautiful baby,” Vogel said. “My thought then was, let her do some stuff, we’ll put it in her college fund, and she’ll go to college and she’ll have this.”
“I never expected her to be a professional actor, never,” she added.
