Anna Paquin calls out Hollywood over exploiting child stars after Hayden Panettiere’s death

Paquin shared a post on Instagram honoring Panettiere as well as fellow former child stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase. The Oscar-winning actress said the experiences of young performers in Hollywood have not been addressed properly.

“It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically pre-sexualized female, child ‘stars’ have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends,” she said. “We were not as protected by the ‘systems’ that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be.”

Paquin also encouraged other child stars to contact her if they need any sort of support.

“You are worthy of support, no matter how our industry made us feel,” she said. “I believe you, and I will stand by your side.”

“You aren’t alone. Let’s have each other’s backs. It might make public disclosure less terrifying,” Paquin added.

Panettiere was announced dead last week after being found unresponsive at a temporary residence in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36 years old. Authorities did not publicly announce a final cause of death, but Page Six reported that a 911 dispatch audio referenced a possible “overdose.”

Trachtenberg died in February 2025 at the age of 39 after she was found unresponsive in her New York apartment. Her death was ruled to be due to complications of diabetes mellitus. Chase, who died at the age of 35, had been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, bloodstream infections, and AIDS.

Fellow former child star Alex PenaVega, known for her role in “Spy Kids,” addressed the series of deaths in an Instagram post following Panettiere’s death.

“Hayden, Michelle, Daveigh … my heart is heavy today,” she wrote on Instagram. “These aren’t just names from my childhood. They’re girls I grew up alongside, sharing a world that was exciting and also incredibly hard.”

“We were kids navigating something so big, and not everyone had the foundation or the support they deserved,” she added. “Today, I’m grieving and holding their families close in my prayers and thinking of everyone still fighting battles we can’t see.”