You obviously love animals and now you are an Ambassador for a wildlife foundation?
Yes. I was on set and I was invited to be an Ambassador for the ICUN Red List Collection with Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor. And it’s amazing. I got this big red book of all the gorgeous pictures of these animals that were in danger, and it was so sad seeing them. They’re just such gorgeous animals that you would never know about and the sad part is, you go to South Africa and you really see things first hand and you realize, “Wow, people in the states have no idea. They have no idea what is going on in that country.” Because it’s only been 11 years since apartheid, and they’ve cleaned up, even since I’ve been there, even since apartheid ended 10 years [ago] they’ve cleaned it up incredibly well. And just going there and seeing it even in the condition that it’s in, even better than it was, it’s just like, it’s a shocker. I really wanted to be a part of something and be a part of South Africa forever because it was my home and I adored it.
South Africa just really grows on you. Of course, as a 15 year old getting there, I was 14 getting there, I had to drive through the boondocks, like nowhere. If your car broke down, that’s it. God knows what would happen to you. And it was amazing. Of course, I was almost in tears the first night I got there. Almost in tears because I’m sitting there, we filmed in Nottingham Road [and] Nottingham Road was like deep country, [and I’m] like, “Oh my God, there’s nothing to do.” It’s like our high was going to Porky’s Bar and Grill.
It’s not really called that, is it?
It’s called Porky’s Bar and Grill. We were there every night. That was what I loved to do. “Oh daddy, please can we go to Porky’s? Oh mommy, I need to go to Porky’s tonight.”
I was sitting in the house – a beautiful house – it was at night and so you couldn’t even see what was there. I’m sitting there and almost in tears sitting at the table going, “Five months? Five months? I have to be here five months?” But it wound up growing on me and I never wanted to leave.
I went into Cape Town and Johannesburg and I went on safari. I was like I was crying looking out the window when I was taking off in the plane because I didn’t [want to] leave. I didn’t go home for five months. My parents switched back and forth because my brother was in the states and I was looking out the window with this forlorn face. I couldn’t believe that I was leaving, because, you know, you leave there thinking, “This is South Africa. This is a once in a lifetime thing. It’s not like I’m going to be here tomorrow.” It’s not like leaving LA or leaving New York where you’re going, “I can be here next week if I want to.” And it was so sad and I wanted to go back, and I miss it so much because I had all my friends and stuff.
Is it just a coincidence that you were on Frankie’s show “Malcolm in the Middle?”
Yeah, a total coincidence. It was the funniest thing when I first saw him after I came back from South Africa. I was like, “I rode you! For five months!” And the director is going (looks a bit disapproving). (Laughing) I’m like, “No, no, really I did.” My mom [who is sitting in the corner during this interview] is going, “That doesn’t sound right.” But, no, no, no, he’s a zebra though.
Is your role on “Malcolm” going to be recurring now? She was a huge hit the first time.
Yeah. It’s a fun show to do. It’s relatively quick in and out. And it’s a very different character because usually when you’re blonde and that sort of thing, they tend to categorize you. It’s a great role to get out of that categorizing; frizzy hair and glasses. My friends all see me and go, “You’re ugly! You’re hideous, ewww!”
Have you noticed that the roles for the cute little kids have stopped coming and there are more beautiful young girl roles now?
You know, it was funny, I was complaining a few years back. I’d say “Mom, I always play guys. These guy characters.” Like in “Remember the Titans”, I loved the movie, don’t get me wrong, but I always played these tomboys. I’m like, “I’m sick of being dressed as a boy. I want to be a girl.” Now I’m a girl so it’s fun. Yeah!
PAGE 3: Hayden Panettiere on Her Role in "Ice Princess"
