Hayden Panettiere has revealed in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, that a 'well-respected' Oscar winner exposed his testicles to her at a party when she was just 19 years old. The 36-year-old actress details the uncomfortable and disturbing experiences from her early career in Hollywood.
The Incident at the Los Angeles Party
According to the memoir, the incident took place at a Los Angeles party attended predominantly by older men. Panettiere wrote that after spending time making small talk with a group of men, she began feeling increasingly uncomfortable and decided to leave. As she was putting on her coat, the Oscar-winning actor approached her and pointed to what he claimed was gum on his trousers. When she looked down, she saw his testicles hanging out from his unzipped fly.
Panettiere wrote: 'I looked down and recoiled. This well-respected, award-winning actor’s testicles were hanging out from his unzipped fly.' She described the moment as shocking, noting that while it did not physically harm her, it left her rattled. 'The gum on the pants, however, was a head-scratcher. It hadn’t hurt me and I was sure it was a drunken joke, but I’d never seen a grown man do something like that. I was shocked.'
The actress said she left quickly and has never spoken about the incident until now. Up until that point, she had generally found men in Hollywood to be kind and respectful, which made the actor's actions so shocking to her.
Another Disturbing Encounter
In her memoir, Panettiere also describes another distressing event where a friend allegedly forced her into bed with a naked famous man during a yacht trip in France. Reflecting on the experience, she said: 'The fact that I was 18, even though I’d lived such a huge life and I thought I was oh so mature at 18... scientifically, your frontal lobes don’t develop until we’re what, 25, 26? So even though I felt like I could make healthy decisions, safe decisions, I wasn’t capable of being fully aware of what was going on around me.'
The actress noted that her 'perspective completely shifted' once she realized she was 'in danger', but she was already 'quite literally out to sea'. The person who brought her onto the boat was someone she trusted deeply.
Memoir Release
This Is Me: A Reckoning by Hayden Panettiere is available now in bookstores. The memoir sheds light on the darker side of Hollywood and the challenges young actresses face in the industry.
