Hayden's SecondAct

After a four-year hiatus, Hayden Panettiere is taking on new roles, flexing her producer muscles and showing off her sassy side

- by SHARI GOLDHAGEN

"Now, I'm able to do projects that are different and juicier," Panettiere tells Us.

Hayden Panettiere literally grew up in front of the cameras, appearing in national TV commercials as an infant and landing a role on One Life to Live when she was just five years old. By her teens, she was starring in huge hits like the TV series Heroes and the Scream franchise, and she continued acting, almost non-stop, until taking a “desperately needed” break a few years ago.

Given those decades of experience, Panettiere, 35, tells Us there was one thing that really “scared the pants” off her when she started work on her new meta-horror flick A Breed Apart (in theaters and on demand May 16).

“I went four years without really having to memorize dialogue constantly, and that muscle atrophied,” she admits. “When I stepped back in, I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I ever gonna get that muscle back?”