Hayden Panettiere reveals desire to work with Taylor Sheridan: “I love Taylor Sheridan’s world”

Posted On June 11, 2025June 11, 2025

In an exclusive interview with Far Out, Scream VI and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere has revealed her ambition to work with director Taylor Sheridan.

In the wide-ranging conversation about her career, Panettiere also provided insight into her desire to move into directing at some point and revealed that, as a former child star, she loves being an on-set advocate for the kids she works with today.

At one point in the conversation, Panettiere, who has largely plied her trade on hugely successful, long-running shows like Heroes, discussed her dream role, which would see her embrace the rough and tumble stylings of one of the most successful TV creators of the last decade.

“I love Taylor Sheridan’s world,” Panettiere revealed, referring to the creator of Paramount’s Yellowstone empire. However, Sheridan’s muscular, action-heavy creative well runs much deeper than Yellowstone and its myriad western spinoffs.

He is also the screenwriter of Sicario and Hell or High Water, and has created the hit oil drama Landman, and the female-centric military show Special Ops: Lioness. Interestingly, Panettiere would love to sink her teeth into this latter corner of his world, which stars Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman.

At only five feet tall, Panettiere is the first to admit that most people wouldn’t immediately think of her for a military action show, but she explained that’s exactly why she’d love to challenge herself with it. It would be incredibly fulfilling for the star “to be a part of that team and to represent the little blondes and people who aren’t thought of as tough, but they are tough as nails, and some of the best of the best.” Then, obviously imagining herself decked out in army fatigues and brandishing heavy artillery, she grinned, “Yeah, that would be right up my alley”.

While she hasn’t secured a part in a Sheridan project yet, Panettiere did have the opportunity to audition for one. She was reportedly called to read the part eventually played by her Heroes co-star Ali Larter in Landman. However, she admitted to talking herself out of even attempting the audition because she felt there was no way she’d land the job. The regret associated with that decision has only strengthened her resolve to work with Sheridan who she has admired for a very long time.

“Taylor creates these worlds, and frankly, I feel like he’s kind of brought back a genre that was for a long time not going to be made anymore,” Panettiere mused about his bringing the Western back to the TV forefront. “It wasn’t lucrative the way people wanted it to be, but I’m just really glad to see that somebody is keeping that around, because they’re incredible stories and the relationships he creates with these characters are just so rich,” she continued.

Panettiere’s new movie,  A Breed Apart, is now available to watch on video-on-demand.

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