Hollywood star Hayden Panettiere (Scream, Nashville, Heroes) is promoting her new film Amber Alert. She plays the protagonist, Jaq, a woman who — while taking an Uber to work (Tyler James Williams is the driver) — sees the car that fits the description of the one listed on an Amber Alert. She also sees the abducted 7-year-old girl in the back seat, and follows the car to a creepy house.
In the movie, Jaq reveals that she doesn’t have children, but the actress portraying her does. In an emotional interview with People magazine, Panettiere spoke about her daughter, who lives overseas with her father Wladimir Klitschko, and about the grief she’s faced following her brother’s unexpected death.
Panettiere received a lot of negative criticism after the interview went public. She responded on Instagram by writing: “I would like to take a moment to address the controversy surrounding an interview I recently completed with PEOPLE Magazine. It’s unfathomable that I’m even in this position, but I feel forced to address it in a space where I won’t be criticized for how fast or slow I speak. I hadn’t slept for two days prior to the shoot due to one of my dogs who was recovering from an emergency surgical procedure. It was an 8-hour shoot followed by an on-camera interview that was supposed to last for 1 hour.”
She explained: “The interview started well, and for the record, its beginning is not included in the version PEOPLE Magazine posted. I was exhausted. My rep stopped the interview early as it became obvious that I was fading—especially as the subject matter became heavier. We asked the interviewer if we could re-do it another day or do a follow up interview on zoom. She assured us that it wasn’t necessary, and that she felt it was an emotional and heartfelt interview. We were also told they would edit it and that it would be a beautiful piece. The magazine does not grant approval for images or video interviews before they run. We see the interview when it goes live.”
Panettiere added: “Grief looks different on everyone. Whether or not I am on medication is none of anyone’s business and is between me and my doctor. I am doing interviews to promote my new film because I am proud of it.”
The People magazine interview hasn’t stopped Panettiere from continuing to promote Amber Alert, and on live TV too. As seen above, she appeared on the Today show. Panettiere wrote: “Had so much fun with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Hager on the Today Show.” The interview is below.