As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, star Hayden Panettiere recently revealed that she'd called the directors of Scream VI to pitch an idea for her Scream character's return to the franchise. While speaking to Good Morning America on Monday about her appearance in the upcoming New York set sequel, Panettiere revealed that she first became aware of the possibility of returning to the popular movie series after the fifth film was announced. Panettiere's character Kirby Reed was first introduced in the fourth Scream movie. Though Kirby was stabbed in the film, her ultimate fate was never revealed.
After Panettiere's ABC show, Nashville wrapped up back in 2018, the star ended up taking a break from acting. While reflecting on her pause from her career in the entertainment industry, Panettiere said, "I didn't know what I wanted to do next. I did have to take those four years off and thank God I did. I had to work on myself — my mental health, my physical health, my spiritual health."
The star continued, "And then when ['Scream'] popped up and came back around, I was like, 'I want to be a part of that again because I hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willed her back into existence and I called them."
Hayden Panettiere Told Scream Directors That Her Character "'Might Still Be Alive, and I Could Come In Handy'"
Panettiere added, "I actually called them ... when they were doing 'Scream 5' and I was like, "Without me?! Wait. Hold on. I might still be alive, and I could come in handy.'"
THR noted that in a cover story for Women's Health, Panettiere opened up about her personal struggles, including postpartum depression and dealing with substance abuse. The actor went on to say that she can now relate to her character's trauma due to experiencing serious difficulties of her own. She said, "We saw Kirby get stabbed, but we never saw her die. We didn't see her rescued either. She has that human trauma, and it's changed her. That's something I can obviously relate to."
While talking to GMA, Panettiere also discussed the upcoming Scream movie's New York backdrop. The Heroes star said, "I'm a New Yorker, so I love that it came here. When they tell you the rules of, like, staying safe, basically the number one rule is put yourself in a crowd. Make sure that you're surrounded by people so that if somebody hurts you, somebody's there to help."
She added, "Well, apparently that is not the case. That can become just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, and it really could be anybody for any reason."
Scream VI hits theaters on March 10th.