With her latest movie, Hayden Panettiere may now boast that she’s portrayed Little Red Riding Hood but the actress insists that’s not where her interest in fairy tale characters ends.
“Every girl would kill to play Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or Snow White,” said Panettiere during a recent phone interview from Manhattan. “There are infinite possibilities.”
Best-known for her role on TV’s Heroes, Panettiere leads an ensemble voice cast in Friday’s release of the animated-sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil — an irreverent comedy that places Red Riding Hood as a butt-kicking operative of the HEA (Happily Ever After) agency. When Hansel and Gretel mysteriously disappear, she heads out with her fabled family to rescue the missing tots.
“It’s a little more risqué (than the first movie) but in a very well-thought way,” said Panettiere. “It’s one of those films where the humour will translate to kids and also to adults. Some jokes will probably go over kids’ heads but the adults will definitely appreciate it.”
No stranger to voice acting, Panettiere hit the stage at age four and she soon lent her vocal talents to such animated classics as 1998’s A Bug’s Life and 2000’s Dinosaur.
In fact, while her other pursuits (she’s currently starring in Scream 4) are taking off, the 21-year old star insists she’ll always keep animation opportunities in mind.
“With voice-acting, it’s this different kind of acting where you don’t have to have your physicality to convey emotion, it’s just your voice,” said Panettiere. “There’s no such thing as being over-the-top or too goofy, so you love it. Then seeing your voice come out of an ant, a lemur, Little Red Riding Hood — it’s cool.”
