Hayden Panettiere’s “Remember the Titans” co-star Ethan Suplee opened up about his addiction struggles int he wake of the late actress’ apparent overdose.
The actor, 50, penned a vulnerable Substack essay Monday about smoking heroin the night of the movie’s premiere in 2000 — and thinking he “wouldn’t wake up.”
He divulged, “I went from the press line to the bathroom and smoked heroin.”
Suplee explained that he became emotional after meeting Louis Lastik, whom he played in the film, pointing out, “He wasn’t fat. Not like I was. I imagined his disappointment at seeing who they’d gotten to play him. So I went back to the bathroom and smoked heroin.
“Then we were all supposed to take laps around the stadium in golf carts,” he continued. “When I sat on our cart, it broke, I crushed one of the rear wheels. … While the movie played, I sat in the bathroom, cried, and smoked heroin.”
Suplee added, “I didn’t die of an accidental overdose that night. But I went to bed believing I wouldn’t wake up, and that didn’t seem so bad. Better than whatever a new day offered.”
The “My Name Is Earl” alum recalled multiple moments with Panettiere bringing him “relief” that evening.
He remembered, “On the red carpet … [she] ran up to me, leapt into my arms and gave me a big hug. Holding her I was lighter, some of her energy and innocence washed over me, and for a moment my smile was genuine.”
Later on, he saw the Golden Globe nominee “one last time,” writing, “Once again, she leapt into my arms, and once again I felt some relief.”
In addition to Panettiere, who died in South Carolina over the weekend of an apparent overdose, Suplee highlighted other young stars who met similar fates — actors Christopher Pettiet and Harold Pruett.
The former, notably, passed away at 24 in 2000, while Pruett was 32 when he died two years later.
“I feel a tremendous sense of loss today, I don’t know what they were going through at the end,” Suplee wrote. “I only know that for them, the battle is over. And I’m sad.”
Suplee, who got sober and shed more than 250 pounds after the movie, concluded, “The miracle of my life wasn’t just asking for help, it was finding the courage to accept it. Something that seemed impossible.”
Panettiere opened up about her own alcohol and opioid addiction struggles to People in 2022, confessing the substances “became something [she] almost couldn’t live without.”
The “Nashville” alum shared more in her May memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”
While the “Heroes” alum told “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King she was in a “good place” while promoting the tell-all, the journalist said Monday that Panettiere was “clearly still struggling” at the time.
Similarly, the “Sleepwalker” actress’ co-star Justin Chatwin claimed “lonely” Panettiere was “struggling” on set of the movie in 2025 and seemed “different” than when he first met her years prior.
The 36-year-old’s cause of death is not yet known at this time.
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