Hayden Panettiere’s co-star Justin Chatwin ‘pissed off’ over Hollywood culture after her passing

Actor Justin Chatwin has said he feels angry as well as grief following the death of his "Sleepwalker" co-star Hayden Panettiere, criticising what he sees as Hollywood's failure to support performers dealing with trauma and addiction. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Chatwin said his sadness had turned to frustration at an industry culture in which people "aren't taken care of" despite generating substantial profits for it, describing the issue as part of a wider epidemic affecting people across America, not just in the entertainment business.

Panettiere, best known for "Heroes" and "Nashville", died on 16 August at the age of 36 after being found in cardiac arrest at her home in Greenville, South Carolina; an autopsy found no signs of trauma, and the official cause of death is still being determined. Chatwin, who worked with Panettiere on the psychological thriller "Sleepwalker" and had also known her since her twenties on "Heroes", said he sensed she was carrying significant pain from years of personal struggles, which she had previously discussed publicly and detailed in her 2026 memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning". He also reflected more broadly on the loneliness he believes lies behind the glamour of a Hollywood career.