Hayden Panettiere keen to test acting skills

The American actress is best known for playing blonde cheerleader Claire Bennet on American drama Heroes. Although the show has now finished, Panettiere revealed some people still associate her with it. She is keen to move onto other projects, and is working hard to ensure she is believable as other characters.

“It’s a constant juggling act because you’re always known for what you did last, and a blonde cheerleader was a tough plot to dig myself out of,” she told Look magazine. “So it’s something I’m still having to swim upstream with, but I’m working hard to make sure people don’t have problems seeing me in other roles.”

Panettiere is set to portray convicted murderer Amanda Knox in a new TV movie next year, a role she admits will be tough. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison last year for the killing of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. Knox’s boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and friend Rudy Guede were also jailed. Knox, 23, has always protested her innocence and has appealed her conviction.

Panettiere is determined to give the role her all, and has been studying videos of Knox to ensure she gets her mannerisms right.