'Heroes' creator Tim Kring pays tribute to Hayden Panettiere, recalls her no-brainer casting

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: When 'Heroes' premiered in September 2006, Hayden Panettiere quickly became one of the faces of the NBC drama as Claire Bennet, the seemingly ordinary cheerleader at the center of the story.

Twenty years later, creator Tim Kring is reflecting on the casting process and why Panettiere stood out immediately. The actress died at 36 in South Carolina on August 16, with her death recently ruled an accident.

Tim Kring recalls Hayden Panettiere's instant connection to Claire Bennet

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kring explained that 'Heroes' had such a large cast that the production could not afford to hire many “really known actors.” Instead, they wanted performers who “felt like they were ordinary people,” with a relatable, everyman quality.

Kring said Claire was envisioned as “the cheerleader who you had the crush on, not the one that everybody else had the crush on,” describing her as not the golden girl but someone “slightly quirky, with something offbeat about her.”

Panettiere was 16 when she auditioned, and Kring said the team did not have to look far to find their Claire. “We did not look very far; we saw [Panettiere], and that was it,” he added.

Kring recalled that Panettiere was an “extraordinary actress” who embodied the “girl-next-door quality” while also possessing exceptional range. He added that after seeing her audition, he could not remember having another performer in mind for Claire.

“It was just pure talent that walked in the door,” Kring said and added, “There’s nobody in my head that we saw other than her.” 'Heroes' ultimately ran for four seasons before ending in 2010.

Hayden Panettiere remembered by her 'Heroes' costars

The 'Heroes' team reunited in honor of Panettiere on August 25. Jimmy Jean-Louis, who played Rene, also known as “the Haitian,” shared photos from the gathering on Instagram, describing the reunion as “deeply emotional.”

“There was sadness in our hearts, but also so much love, gratitude, and warmth,” Jean-Louis wrote, adding, “Au revoir Hayden.” Masi Oka, Santiago Cabrera, Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Jack Coleman were among those present, while Zachary Quinto joined through a video call.

Writer and producer Bryan Fuller also shared photos, calling Panettiere “No. 1 on the call sheet and No. 1 in our hearts and memories.” He wrote that the group shared stories of “Hayden’s light” and ended with, “Rest in peace, Hayden.”

Panettiere’s representative confirmed her death on August 16 on behalf of her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere. The Greenville Police Department later said she was found unresponsive and that the preliminary investigation had found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Oka remembered Panettiere as having a “beautiful spirit,” “immense talent” and “joyful energy,” while saying she was “wiser beyond her years” and “gone too soon.”