Hayden Panettiere related to the “human trauma” experienced by her character in Scream VI.

In the latest instalment of the slasher franchise, the Nashville actress reprises the part of Kirby Reed, who she originally played in 2011’s Scream 4.

During an interview for the April 2023 issue of Women’s Health magazine, Hayden recalled how she decided to reach out to directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin after taking four years out from Hollywood to focus on her mental health.

“In therapy, I kept wanting to go back to the beginning of the period of time where I was really happy and healthy,” she said, before noting how she saw parallels between her own life and Kirby’s story. “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.”

In Scream VI, the survivors of the previous movie, as played by Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Mason Gooding, head to New York City. However, they are again stalked by the terrifying Ghostface.

“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 to put yourself in a crowd. Make sure that you’re surrounded by people so that if somebody hurts you, somebody’s there to help,” the star explained during a recent appearance on Good Morning America. “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 is now showing in cinemas.

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