Rose McGowan never appeared on-screen with Hayden Panettiere, but they were both part of the “Scream” series. Rose McGowan appeared in the original “Scream” that was released in 1996, while Panettiere was in the fourth film in 2005 and made a vocal appearance in the sixth film in 2023. McGowan paid tribute to Panettiere after her death, writing “Rest in Power” on an Instagram post.
McGowan didn’t end her post with that, however, as she also included, “Don’t put kids in show business. None of this is normal. May her spirit be free of those who orchestrated.”
The comments on this post largely agree with McGowan and support her call for an end to child stardom. One comment reads, “Stop robbing children of their childhoods.” An abundance of other comments shared similar sentiments along with calls for children who are in the industry to have more protections while those who take advantage of their positions be removed from them.
Hayden Panettiere’s Journey in Entertainment
GettyPanettiere’s life in entertainment started when she was a baby. She starred in commercials at that time before landing a role in “One Life to Live” at age five. At age seven, Panettiere spent three years as Lizzie Spaulding in “Guiding Light.” In the middle of filming that show, Panettiere also voiced Princess Dot in “A Bug’s Life.”
At age 10, she played Sheryl Yoast in “Remember the Titans.” She was Maddie Harrington in “Ally McBeal” at age 12. Then, Panettiere started shifting to roles as a teenager that would lead into her later roles, including a role as Gen Harwood in “Ice Princess,” where she was the rival of Michelle Trachtenberg’s character, another child star who passed away a little over a year ago from complications of diabetes.
McGowan Isn’t Alone in Calling for Protections
In addition to McGowan, Melissa Gilbert, another child star from “Little House on the Prairie,” also called for more protections for child stars following Panettiere’s death, though she didn’t call for an end to child stardom entirely. Considering the number of child stars passing at a young age, the calls for change seem to be increasing in number.
Blake Garrett from “How to Eat Fried Worms” died at age 33 earlier this year. So did Daveigh Chase from “Lilo and Stitch” at age 35. Both of these stars were only slightly younger than Panettiere, and the sudden loss of multiple child stars in one year can be jarring.
McGowan has been a vocal supporter of women in the entertainment industry for years, and her support hasn’t been limited to former child stars. So far, there haven’t been any official changes made in the protections that are offered to child stars in the wake of Panettiere, Garrett, and Chase’s deaths. However, the tributes and support for these lost stars has been matched by calls for the way that children exist in entertainment to be charged in ways that protect them from meeting sad fates in the future.
Our hearts go out to Panettiere and all child stars who passed too early.
