Anna Paquin laments ‘profoundly sad lives and ends’ of female child stars

Anna Paquin has said it is “not a coincidence so many former female child stars have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends”.

Following the death of actress Hayden Panettiere aged 36 this week, Paquin addressed the treatment of young actresses who have grown up in Hollywood.

Sharing a post on Instagram, she wrote: “It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically pre-sexualized female, child ‘stars’ have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends.

“We were not as protected by the ‘systems’ that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be.”

She added: “RIP HP [Hayden Panettiere], MT [Michelle Trachtenberg], DC [Daveigh Chase] and too many others. It’s a strange small club we belong to and you are worthy of support no matter how our industry made us feel.

“Literally DM me. 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.”

Posting in the comments, she later added: “Quick edit I’m speaking very specifically about the experience as a child on set that finds themselves prematurely a ‘sex object’.

“I’m not implying damage is not done outside of the context of entertainment. But that is a longer post for a different moment. Also I used the women’s initials because I ran out of space. Nothing to be read into. Just logistics.”

Former child star Mara Wilson, who appeared in Mrs Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street and Matilda, commented: “Thank you so much for this.”

Paquin, 44, rose to fame starring in The Piano, winning the Academy Award for best supporting actress aged 11.

As a child actress she also had roles in Fly Away Home, Jane Eyre and Almost Famous.

Sharing her own tribute to Panettiere, Rose McGowan also posted on Instagram: “Rest in Power Hayden Panettiere. Don’t put kids in show business. None of this is normal. May her spirit be free of those who orchestrated.”

McGowan, 52, played Tatum Riley in the original 1996 Scream film before Panettiere starred as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and Scream VI in 2011 and 2023.

Panettiere made her first onscreen appearance in a toy commercial when she was 11 months old and went on to work as a child actor in movies and shows including Remember The Titans, Ally McBeal, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Malcolm In The Middle.

“From a very young age, I lost the chance to have a normal childhood, friends, relationships and my privacy,” Panettiere wrote in her autobiography, This Is Me, which was published earlier this year.

The actress also detailed in her memoir that she “suffered from body dysmorphia for years” after reading a headline about her “cellulite” as a teenager.

She also recalled being given a “happy pill” by a former publicist when she was 16, describing it as “the gateway drug that ushered me toward the good of pharmaceuticals and the downfall of addiction”.

A statement from Panettiere’s representatives on Monday said the star will be remembered by her family as an “incredible light” who brought “immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her”.

Police said the actress, who had struggled with addiction and her mental health, was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, and there were “no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances”.

Her death follows that of Chase’s – who died aged 35 in June – and Trachtenberg, who died aged 39 in February last year.