Beth Chamberlin: Hayden Panettiere Would Have Shined Again

Beth Chamberlin, Hayden Panettiere's former co-star from Guiding Light, held onto the belief that the actress would weather her troubled times and return as an even stronger performer before her sudden passing at age 36. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Chamberlin spoke about the special bond they shared while filming in the 90s soap opera. She highlighted the resilience she saw in Panettiere during those difficult moments.

When I would hear about some of the troubled times that she was going through, I would think to myself, She's gonna get through this, and watch out world, Chamberlin told Fox News Digital. Because when she gets through this, you are going to see some work on screen. You're going to see things like you've never seen. I know Viola Davis made a comment that she is waiting to see what Hayden was going to fully become. And I think that puts it best because I think, that's how I was feeling too.

The star of Heroes and Nashville was found dead inside a residence in Greenville, South Carolina on Aug. 16. Panettiere's boyfriend at the time, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach called 911 after discovering her unresponsive, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital. Hickerson later handed authorities a bag containing medication that Panettiere had allegedly been taking.

Lesley Vogel, Hayden's mother, publicly questioned Brian's role in her daughter's life and death. Although my daughter and I were estranged, it was not for lack of care or love, she said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. It was due to the involvement of a toxic individual who I believe led to her death.

Hayden was a beautiful and talented young woman who unfortunately became involved with the wrong person, and although her family tried to extricate him from her life, we were unable to be successful.

Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma that contributed to Panettiere's death, the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital. However, Panettiere's death remains under investigation. Fox News has learned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was contacted and is assisting with the investigation.

For Chamberlin, processing this loss has been particularly hard because she remembers Panettiere as the extraordinarily talented young girl she worked alongside on Guiding Light. She truly was just an amazing, amazing child actor, Chamberlin said. You've never seen anything like it, actually. Acting requires a lot of work to create an emotional arc. Now in a soap opera, too, you have to remember everything's done in one take. It's a multi-camera shoot... So you've got to get it right. And she was able to do that. With multiple pages, day after day.

Chamberlin says that while she has often discouraged children pursuing a career in acting, she strongly believed Panettiere was a special exception. I know there's so many people that will say, Oh, you shouldn't put children in the business And I get that. And anybody that knows me, knows that when people in my life that have asked me, how about putting my kid in the businesses? I always say, Don't do it. I didn't put my own kid in a business. But I've always maintained that Hayden was the exception to that. Because Hayden looked like she was in her element when she was there.

Chamberlin said she hopes Panettiere will be remembered for her extraordinary talent. I really want people to remember her for the extraordinary talent she was. Because she truly was, she said. As I've said before, I think she was the most talented child actor that ever walked on a set...

The actress pulled off unbelievable work on the soap opera in a single take. She might have filmed twenty pages of scenes or perhaps thirty, maybe even forty pages worth of action every day. That is a whole different beast entirely. I want people to keep that fact in mind because it deserves to be remembered and held up as an example.