Hayden Panettiere channeled her own experiences — as a both mother and as a former sleepwalker — when diving into the complex emotions of her latest character.
In her new psychological thriller, Sleepwalker, Panettiere, 36, explores the question of how much a mother can endure as mourning mom Sarah, whose grief after losing her daughter in a tragic car accident manifests in terrifying sleepwalking visions.
“The trauma of [losing her daughter] triggers her to start sleepwalking again, which is something she inherited genetically from her mother, and throughout the film, we watch her descend into this incredibly dark place,” Panettiere exclusively tells Us Weekly about the character. “She starts not being able to tell the difference between when she’s awake and when she’s living in this nightmare world.”
A mom herself to daughter Kaya, 11, Panettiere is deeply empathetic with Sarah’s personal demons. “She’s just a struggling mother who’s been through this horrible trauma and is losing grip on reality,” she explains. (Panettiere shares Kaya with ex Wladimir Klitschko.)
Here, Panettiere talks to Us about diving into the emotional role, her own personal challenges with sleepwalking and more:
Us Weekly: This is a dark film. As a mother yourself and someone who has experienced grief, how did you protect yourself and stay healthy mentally?
Hayden Panettiere: I have to say, it’s a constant battle. Once people figure out that you can be emotional and produce those tears, they love it, and then they’ll write a lot of that in, as you see in things like [my show] Nashville. But I’ve found that the more that I have been through in my life, sometimes the harder it is to get there, because once I let those walls down, it can be much harder for me to transition out and shake it off. … I really find books helpful for that. They focus me. I’m a big fan of fantasy and science fiction. It’s almost, like, a meditation for me, where my brain gets to focus solely on one thing, creating this world out of words.
Us: How do you get there emotionally in scenes?
HP: Since I was little, I’ve always been taught to find a little corner right before we’re filming and and go into my head and conjure up these images of things, usually things that have not happened to me yet, that get me to that emotional place. When I was a kid, it started with just being able to think about one of my pets dying, one of my dogs dying. And then as I’ve gotten older, the stakes have gotten higher and higher and those images have become darker and darker. It’s definitely difficult to really go there at my age, and then having to shake it off and step back into myself.
Us: Is there anything else other than books that keep you in good spirits while filming difficult scenes?
HP: The great thing about being on set is being surrounded by people, great people, talented people. On this project in particular, we have an amazing cast. … Having conversations with them after cut, and having conversations with the crew after cut, and finding light-hearted things to laugh about — I think laughter is the best medicine. Just connecting with people, finding a way to take a little break from the reality you’re living, and focus on something else. I’m a big ping pong [fan] too. I love ping pong.
Hayden Panettiere Storm Santos
Us: This movie deals a lot with nightmares and visions. Do you believe in the supernatural?
HP: I never say never. I’ve definitely had deeply spiritual things happen in my life and “coincidences” that are sometimes so eerie that they seem more than just that. I’ve never personally seen a ghost, per se, but I understand that I am not smart enough to know what is possible and impossible in this world.
Us: As the title suggests, Sarah is a big sleepwalker. Have you ever experienced sleepwalking?
HP: I actually was a huge sleepwalker growing up, as was my little brother. I don’t know for sure if it’s a genetically inherited trait, or what exactly it’s caused by. … But I would wake up when I was younger [when] I would have a sleepover with a girlfriend or something like that, and they would tell me that I would just get up in the middle of the night and start to walk around, feeling the walls and the rooms and the curtains. And it used to be very scary when my little brother would sleepwalk when we were kids because he would just sleepwalk right into the doorway of your bedroom and just stand there so eerily.
Us: It’s interesting that Sarah is being abused by her husband [played by Justin Chatwin] but still the one blamed for acting “crazy.” Is that a theme you wanted to touch on?
HP: Men in this world seem to very easily get passes where there’s this stigma around women being overly emotional and overly dramatic. And I’ve witnessed it even in therapy. If it was a man, [he] was much more willing to question the truth of my story, the validity of my story, rather than the person who, I don’t want to say fault it was, but who is doing the damage. That’s just something that has existed [since] the dawn of time. It’s gotten a little bit better, but it’s nowhere near where I would hope it would be in 2025.
Us: You and Mischa Barton have an absolutely phenomenal scene together in this film. You two were both young powerhouses in the early 2000s and now you’re here playing mothers! Were there talks about growing up in the industry at the same time?
HP: We had 15 days to film this entire movie, which was wild. And another thing I loved was I got a chance to produce. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my job, I love acting, but I got to really utilize all my knowledge that I’ve gained in 35 years that I’ve been in this business, and got to really be involved in more than just the acting part. So [Mischa and I] basically only had a couple days together, but I had an amazing time with her. And I think there was a lot that didn’t need to be said. There was just an unspoken respect between the two of us and understanding. And sometimes that’s the most powerful.
Hayden Panettiere has had quite the career — and her personal life has been just as captivating. The Golden Globe-nominated actress started modeling at 5 months old and appeared in her first commercial when she was 11 months old. Her big break came in 1994 when she began playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live at […]
Us: Speaking about being a producer also on this film, what do you hope mothers, especially those who have lived through loss and trauma, take away from Sleepwalker?
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HP: I hope that they don’t feel so alone. That they find that a relatable character. I’m so grateful and fortunate to have the platform that I have, to be able to speak about topics like this, and the fact that I not only get to talk about them, but I get to act them out. I hope it just sends the message of, “You’re not crazy. You’re not alone.” Do not listen to anybody who comes at you and tries to squash your truth.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Sleepwalker is playing in select theaters and streaming on demand now.
