It’s always fascinating to watch actors grow and improve before audiences’ eyes. It can come as a great thrill when an incredible performer suddenly comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone later in life, but people seem to feel a greater connection to individuals who have been in the public eye for ages.
Hayden Panettiere is such an individual and she’s gone on to have an enviable career that’s evolved over the years and taken the actress to many different places. Panettiere has been able to make her mark on both television and film in major ways and even though she has some undeniably more popular roles, it’s interesting to see which of her roles resonate with different people. Hayden Panettiere continues to work hard and it’s likely that she’ll be leading another vehicle soon enough.
15 A Bug's Life Remains Some Of Pixar’s Best Work
A Bug’s Life is one of Pixar’s earlier efforts before they had the current stranglehold that they have over the animation market. However, this movie is still just as polished as any of their best work and it tells an important story that remixes old archetypes in a fun new way. It’s a fun example of Pixar’s fascination with certain ecosystems of the world and a fantastic voice cast is assembled, which includes Hayden Panettiere, the young heir to the bug kingdom.
14 Remember The Titans Is A Sports Film With Endless Heart
Sometimes sports films, especially material that’s put out by Disney, can have a tendency to feel a little over-produced and manipulative with its emotions. Remember the Titans is still a powerful ride, but it earns its moments and features a fantastic performance from Denzel Washington. It helps set the mold for inspirational sports movies and while Hayden Panettiere’s role is more ancillary to the story, the heart that she brings goes a long way here.
13 Scream 4 Brings The Horror Franchise Back To Its Roots
Scream 4 has a bit of a maligned reputation, but it’s actually a very satisfying follow-up to the popular slasher franchise that’s on par with the original films. Scream 4 keeps the self-aware murder-fest going as it reunites the original cast, but also brings in plenty of fresh blood for the new generation. Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby is one of the most entertaining new additions and takes on the role of the movie-obsessed member of the group.
12 Nashville Is The Engrossing, Shakespearean Saga Of Two Country Stars
Nashville is the addictive story of two dueling country music stars who find themselves in each other’s orbits and developing a complicated relationship with each other. The chemistry between Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton in the show’s signature roles are fantastic and the series effectively balances its melodrama with musical performances. The show found such a following that it lived for over 100 episodes between two networks.
11 Ally McBeal Became A Major Cultural Icon
Ally McBeal was a huge show for both its star Calista Flockhart and the series’ creator, David E. Kelley. The series connected in a big way with audiences as Flockhart’s titular lawyer balanced drama and comedy in the very comfortable series that helped inspire plenty other shows that borrowed its more imaginative qualities. Panettiere doesn't appear until the show's fifth season as a daughter that Ally never knew that she had, but even though Panettiere was just 12 at the time, she had already been in other roles at this point.
10 Malcolm In The Middle Introduced A New Dysfunctional Family To The World
Malcolm in the Middle was an influential sitcom for Fox that didn’t just help put many of its cast on the map, but helped popularize the single-camera comedy without a laugh track. The series still holds up very well and the dysfunctional family dynamics are a delight. Panettiere isn’t a main character on the show, but she appears in a decent arc as Jessica, Malcolm’s neighbor and classmate who’s often causing trouble for him.
9 Heroes Couldn’t Rise To Its Incredibly Potential
It’s a true tragedy that Heroes never rose to its potential and that the more recent attempt to revive it, Heroes: Reborn, was even more of a failure. Heroes’ first season is such entertaining television as it takes a fresh and grounded approach to the superhero genre, let alone doing it on network TV way ahead of the curve. The show crumbles under its weight as it goes on, but Hayden Panettiere’s work as Claire Bennet is singled out as one of the highlights of the series and it’s really what pushed the actress into the mainstream.
8 Racing Stripes Is A Creative Take On Horse Racing
Racing Stripes is entertaining fare for the whole family, but it still provides a story that’s unique enough to help elevate it above other films of the same nature. Racing Stripes is an inspirational story about a girl, Channing (Hayden Panettiere), who races horses. A series of strange circumstances leads to a young zebra entering Channing’s stable and she and her father begin to train the zebra to be the next big champion.
7 Fireflies In The Garden Is A Heavy Story About Grief & Loss
Fireflies in the Garden is a very Oscar-baiting kind of movie that features a star-studded cast with the likes of Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds' character tries to come to terms with the death of his father and to keep his family to fall apart from the stress. Panettiere plays the role of a young Jane Lawrence, the character that Emily Watson plays in the present, and she brings nuance to her delicate character.
6 I Love You, Beth Cooper Tries To Put A Spin On High School Romance
I Love You, Beth Cooper is far from perfect, but it applies some interesting twists to the typical high school rom-com formula. Hayden Panettiere plays Beth Cooper, one of the most popular girls in school, who decides to return the affections of a social outcast who shows her some attention. It's easy viewing, but the performances by Panettiere and Paul Rust do a lot to help this one out.
