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Fox Atomic can’t get enough of Hayden Panettiere. Shortly after casting the 18-year-old star in the upcoming I Love You, Beth Cooper, the studio signed her up for the lead role in Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List.
The story, based on a novel recently purchased by Fox Atomic, is about the friendship between Naomi and a gay guy named Ely. To stay soulmates forever, they create a "no kiss list" – people they can't kiss under any circumstances. Ely breaks down and breaks the bond, by smooching Naomi's boyfriend, Bruce. When Bruce chooses Ely over Naomi, the former friendship becomes a complicated love triangle.
This will be a pleasant departure from Hayden Panettiere’s cheerleader roles. She played one in 2006’s Bring It On: All or Nothing, the third in the series first made popular by Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku. Then Panettiere gained fame for her role as Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with self-healing powers on NBC’s “Heroes”. There she met her current boyfriend Milo Ventimiglia, who’s clearly not on her real-life no kiss list. Panetierre will once again shake her pom-poms in I Love You, Beth Cooper.
It seems strange that the young actress might be typecast as a rah-rah girl, considering her notable reputation for social activism, especially involving animal rights. PETA awarded the actress the "Compassion in Action Award" last year for trying to stop a dolphin hunt.
So her other upcoming projects seem like more promising opportunities to show her talents. In addition to No Kiss, she has been cast as an acerbic teen in Daydream Nation with Kieran Culkin. Hayden Panettiere is also recording an album, with the first single, "Wake Up Call," to be released in the fall.
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