Photo: Philippe Bossé/PARAMOUNT PICTURES
During Panettiere’s appearance onGood Morning AmericaMonday, the 33-year-old actress told cohostMichael Strahanthat she “didn’t know what I wanted to do next” after she took four years off from acting before she found an opportunity to return toScreamfor its sixth installment.
“I did have to take those four years off, and thank God I did,” Panettiere, who has not appeared on screen since the television seriesNashvilleended in 2018, said. “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.’ "
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Paramount Pictures
Panettiere, whose younger brotherJansen died at 28 in February, previously opened up to PEOPLE in July 2022 aboutsurviving an abusive relationshipwithBrian Hickerson, whom she dated on and off for nearly four years starting in 2018.
“None of it is OK, and I want to make sure that everybody knows that,” she said of her ex-boyfriend’s behavior. Hickerson wascharged with domestic violence multiple timesduring their relationship and spent 13 days in jail in 2021 after he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner.
“But I am open to people who are willing to get help and make amends. He’s gone to treatment and done his time,” Panettiere told PEOPLE at the time. “And I’m trying to live in a place of forgiveness.”
Scream VIis in theaters March 10.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
