Scream franchise actress Hayden Panettiere was forced to pull out of an appearance at the last minute due to a family “emergency.”
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According to PEOPLE, the actress was set to appear at the horror event Creep I.E. Aftermath over the weekend for what was teased to be a “rare” Scream 4 reunion.
Along with Panettiere, others scheduled to appear at the event were Christopher Lloyd, Mira Sorvino, Billy Zane, and Jamie Campbell.
However, she ended up canceling the appearance, citing the family “emergency.”
“Hayden canceled her appearance due to a private family matter concerning the health of an elderly relative,” Panettiere’s rep shared in a statement.
The organizers of the event also shared in an update. “Hayden Panettiere has an emergency and will not be able to attend this weekend. We are looking forward to her appearing at an upcoming show.”
Panettiere first appeared in the Scream franchise as Scream 4 character Kirby Reed, the best friend of Jill Roberts, who ultimately is the killer in the film. She later returned to the franchise as an FBI agent in Scream 6.
Panettiere Reflects on Her Decision to Appear in ‘Scream 6’
During a 2023 interview on Good Morning America, Panettiere said she took 4 years off for “mental health” reasons before her return to the Scream franchise.
“I did have to take those four years off, and thank God I did,” she explained. “I had to work on myself, my mental health and my physical health, spiritual health. And then when [Scream] popped up and it came back around, I was like ‘I want to be part of that again.'”
Panettiere further shared, “I [had] hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willed her back into existence,” she added of how she came to return to the franchise.
“I actually called them when I heard they were doing Scream 5,” she said. “And I was like, ‘without me? Wait, hold on, I might still be alive, and I could come in handy.'”
When asked how she found out about her character’s return, Panettiere revealed she actually contacted the production herself.
“I found out after I called them over the phone and I forced them [to add Kirby in],” she said. “They were like, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea. We didn’t know [she was alive], but we’re gonna put that in, and we’re going to do it like this.'”