In an emotional post, Anna Paquin is speaking out following the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, reflecting on the challenges many former child stars have faced behind the scenes.
The Oscar-winning actress, who was just 11 years old when she won an Academy Award for The Piano, took to Instagram on Friday, August 21, to share a candid message, saying child actors “were not as protected” as many believed.
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“It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically presexualized female, child ‘stars’ have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends,” Paquin wrote. “We were not as protected by the ‘systems’ that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be.”
Paquin’s post came less than a week after Panettiere’s death at age 36. She was found unresponsive in South Carolina on Sunday, Aug. 16 and an investigation into the cause of death is ongoing.
Paquin also remembered former child stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase, writing: “RIP HP, MT, DC, and too many others.”
Paquin also offered support to others who grew up in the entertainment industry, calling former child actors “a strange small club.”
“Literally DM me,” she wrote. “I believe you and I will stand by your side.”
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Paquin added: “You aren’t alone. Let’s have each other’s backs. It might make public disclosure less terrifying.”
After sharing the post, Paquin clarified in the comments that she was referring specifically to the experiences of children who were prematurely sexualized while working in entertainment.
“Quick edit—I’m speaking very specifically about the experience as a child on set that finds themselves prematurely a ‘sex object,'” she wrote in a caption for the post. “I’m not implying damage is not done outside of the context of entertainment. But that is a longer post for a different moment.”
She also addressed questions about referring to Panettiere, Trachtenberg and Chase by their initials, explaining it was simply because she “ran out of space” in the caption and that “nothing [was] to be read into” the decision.
The post quickly resonated with fellow former child actors, including Matilda star Mara Wilson, Who’s the Boss? alum Alyssa Milano, and Roswell actress Shiri Appleby, all of whom voiced support for Paquin. Actress Gala Avary, who appeared alongside Paquin on True Blood, also shared a personal memory.
“I’ll never forget, my first TV gig on True Blood,” wrote Avary in a comment under Paquin’s post. “Watching as a mother whispered something awful into her daughter’s ear to make her cry. Fiona Shaw asked who would do something like that. And you said, everyone would. And that they had done it to you. I had just had my first child. I never forgot it. Thank you for speaking up. ❤️”
Melissa Gilbert, who rose to fame as a child star playing Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, also chimed in, writing, “Thank you Anna. Someone has to say something. Someone has to change this. Someone has to help.”