Hayden Panettiere stars as Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader, on NBC's "Heroes."
(Credit: NBC)
Hayden Panettiere, the 17-year-old star who plays Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes," has undeniably taken indestructibility to new heights.
Fresh off of her real-life high school graduation, the reigning small screen teen queen opens up about getting gory, wanting a TV boyfriend and that blogelicious alternate-future episode.
People are still buzzing about the "future" episode—what did you think about the possibility of the future being so dark?
That episode…it's what will happen only if we don't save New York City, only if the bomb explodes. I don't even know the first episode of the next season—I doubt we'll come to that, but anything's possible in this series.
There's a big blog debate about whether or not Claire is really indestructible. Thoughts?
That's a question that was never really answered for me. I think that she is indestructible—she can jump off the highest buildings, she can go through a wood chopper and she'd be fine—but I do think there's a reason why she's so scared when Sylar comes along and there's a reason why Peter Petrelli has to "save the cheerleader."
How much of your storyline has surprised you as the season has gone on? Like Nathan being your dad—did you see that coming?
I didn't at all. We all kind of stopped guessing! We started guessing in the beginning, like what will happen next? but the show is completely unpredictable. They like to leave us in the dark a lot of the time.
What is Claire's attitude toward her two dads?
There's a lot of love-hate going on. HRG is the dad that raised her; she loves him more than anything, but she's learning that she can't be so naive. Everyone thought HRG was a bad guy in the beginning…turns out he's chosen his daughter over his work. I think she's got kind of mixed feelings about Nathan. She wants to love him, but at the same time, she watched him show up at her real mother's door with a suitcase full of cash to get rid of her. I think she's a pretty savvy girl—she knows that the election is worth more to him than his own daughter.
Can you explain the bond between Claire and Peter, other than him saving your life?
Well, he's my uncle. [Laughs] Uncle Peter! When they met it was kind of a weird sixth sense that they knew each other and they knew that they felt safe around each other. Like they belonged, in a way.
Are you happy that everyone's in the same place now and you're no longer in your own little universe in Texas?
The show is kind of about people crossing paths and how small the world really is. Coming and going and coming together…there's been so many near-misses where they're having conversations with each other and they have no idea that they're in the same boat.
Any talk of Claire getting a boyfriend?
There has been…[Laughs]…I'm pushing the issue! They won't promise me anything, but yes, there is potential. People want to see her be a normal teenage girl, see the human side of her.
It seems like maybe it wasn't enough to save the cheerleader once—do you think people are going to have to keep saving Claire?
Well, she's pretty indestructible, but she may need saving. I don't mind being the damsel in distress! [Laughs]
Do you enjoy doing those tough action scenes?
It keeps me entertained. It's fun—I love doing that stuff. I'm kind of getting jealous of Milo (Ventimiglia who plays Peter Petrelli), because he's starting to shed more blood than me. I think I need to break something really soon! But you don't want her to be like Kenny on "South Park" who dies every episode. You gotta keep it fresh.
So, how long do you think the show can keep it fresh?
I have all the faith in the world in our writers and Tim Kring, our creator—he has big pictures for all the potential upcoming seasons.
When are we gonna get to see Claire cut loose and really use her ability?
Anything is possible on this show. I think at the moment, we're really concentrating on the human stories. It's not just about our powers—it's about mankind, helping the world before it is completely changed, doing what's right and what we're meant to do. [But] my gore is definitely not over! [Laughs]
Of all the other characters on the show, who would you trade powers with? And you can't pick Peter or Sylar—that's cheating!
I'd be teleporting. I'd be at the meeting that I have to be at right now, and then right after, I'd be on a beach somewhere on a deserted island.
