Hayden Panettiere’s legacy as Kirby Reed in the Screamfranchise is being remembered by the people who helped bring the fan-favorite character to life.
Panettiere, who died Sunday at 36, first played the horror-loving Woodsboro teenager in 2011’s Scream 4. More than a decade later, she returned as Kirby in Scream VIafter fans pushed for her comeback.
Nancy Nayor, who worked as a casting director on Scream 4, remembered Panettiere as the perfect choice for the role.
“When her name came up, she seemed like a really terrific contender for the role of Kirby and a great contrast to Emma Roberts,” Nayor tells The Hollywood Reporter. “They were just visually and energetically very different, and we thought they would be great together.”
For Nayor, Panettiere’s audition stood out because of the actress’ intensity and fearless energy.
“It was her fierce warrior nature for the role,” she recalls. Nayor was particularly impressed by Kirby’s phone showdown with Ghostface, a scene requiring her to rapidly name horror movies while trying to save her friend.
“I knew that she would have the passion and the energy to make that scene so believable, so heartbreaking, so intense — and she absolutely delivered all of those qualities.”
Kirby appeared to die in Scream 4, but the character’s survival became a major fan theory.
When Scream returned in 2022, fans campaigned online for Panettiere to reprise the role, and she eventually returned in Scream VI as an FBI special agent.
“It made me happy that she had been so successful in Scream 4 and that fans were wanting to see more,” Nayor said.
Panettiere once called Kirby “one of my favorite characters to ever play,” describing her as “brave and fierce and edgy.”
Nayor added, “She is really special and so lovely, and it’s just so tragic what’s happened.”
2026-08-18 17:46:00
