The actor remembered the young Panettiere and the comfort she brought him during a difficult night
Credit: Reuters
NEED TO KNOW
- Ethan Suplee is remembering Hayden Panettiere, his costar in Remember the Titans
- Suplee recalled a 10-year-old Panettiere leaping into his arms twice at the film’s 2000 premiere
- His reflection comes as authorities continue investigating Panettiere’s cause of death
Ethan Suplee is remembering a young Hayden Panettiere and a moment of comfort she unknowingly gave him more than two decades ago.
Following Panettiere’s death at age 36, Suplee reflected on his Remember the Titans costar in a post on his Substack, Ethan Suplee’s American Glutton. In the post, he recalled the night of the movie’s premiere in 2000, when Panettiere was just 10 years old.
Suplee, who played Louie Lastik in the film, said he was struggling with substance use at the time and had already experienced the devastating loss of another actor and friend to an accidental overdose.
On Sept. 23, 2000, Suplee attended the Remember the Titans premiere at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. He said that while he was on the red carpet, Panettiere ran toward him.
“On the red carpet, Hayden Panettiere, the ten-year-old girl from the movie, ran up to me, leapt into my arms, and gave me a big hug,” he wrote.
The brief interaction gave Suplee a moment of relief.
“Holding her I was lighter, some of her energy and innocence washed over me, and for a moment my smile was genuine,” he wrote.
But the moment was short-lived, and Suplee said he soon returned to using drugs.
“I went from the press line to the bathroom and smoked heroin,” he wrote.
Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty; Mike Windle/WireImage
Later that evening, Suplee met the real people portrayed by the cast in the film, including the real Louis Lastik. He recalled feeling self-conscious about meeting the man he had portrayed.
“While the movie played, I sat in the bathroom, cried, and smoked heroin,” he wrote.
He saw Panettiere one more time that night as the cast was leaving the stadium.
“Once again, she leapt into my arms, and once again I felt some relief,” he wrote.
Suplee ultimately survived that night, even though he went to bed believing he would not wake up.
“I didn’t die of an accidental overdose that night. But I went to bed believing I wouldn’t wake up, and that didn’t seem so bad. Better than whatever a new day offered,” he wrote.
The actor also recalled the deaths of two people from his past as he processed Panettiere’s death.
Christopher Pettiet, an actor Suplee knew from Hollywood in the 1990s, died of an accidental overdose in April 2000, according to Suplee. His friend Harold Pruitt, whom Suplee said he had performed CPR on after finding him unconscious from an overdose in 2000, later died of an accidental overdose in 2002.
“Hayden Panettiere died of an accidental overdose last night,” Suplee wrote in his reflection.
Though authorities have not publicly released Panettiere’s cause of death, officials were heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of her death, according to dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy was completed on Monday, Aug. 17. “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement.
The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation, according to the coroner.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, S.C., where she had been temporarily staying, according to the coroner’s office. First responders found her in cardiac arrest and attempted resuscitation, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. on Aug. 16.
The Greenville Police Department previously said that its preliminary investigation had not indicated signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
Panettiere became known for roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise after her early acting career, which included Remember the Titans, Ice Princess and A Bug’s Life. She leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
Earlier this year, Panettiere released a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In his post, Suplee said he was left with “a tremendous sense of loss” following Panettiere’s death.
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“I don’t know what they were going through at the end,” he wrote, referring to Panettiere and Pruitt. “I only know that for them, the battle is over. And I’m sad.”
Suplee also reflected on his own journey and the help that eventually allowed him to move forward.
“The miracle of my life wasn’t just asking for help, it was finding the courage to accept it. Something that seemed impossible,” he wrote.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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