Based on the true story that captured international headlines. Hayden Panettiere stars as the infamous Amanda Knox, the Seattle exchange student who spent a semester in Italy and was accused of brutally murdering her collage roommate, Meredith Kercher. “Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy” poses the question of whether Knox actually committed the crime or was herself a victim. Knox was accused of murdering Meredith with her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito and acquaintance, Rudy Guede. Referred to as “Foxy Knoxy” by her Italian prosecutor, Guiliani Mignini, and the press, Know was painted as an oversexed, remorseless killer during her two-year trial leading up to her conviction and subsequent sentencing to 26 years in jail.
Participants
-
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere
Character: Amanda Knox
One of entertainment’s brightest stars, Hayden Panettiere has amassed a long list of credits at a young age. Best known for her role as cheerleader Claire Bennet in the hit NBC series “Heroes,” Panettiere next stars in Wes Craven’s highly anticipated “Scream 4,” in theaters April 15. Most recently, she lent her voice to the character Kate in the 3-D animated film “Alpha and Omega.”
Panettiere began her acting career by voicing the animated movies “A Bug’s Life” and “Dinosaur.” From there she went on to star in the films “Remember the Titans,” “The Affair of the Necklace,” “Raising Helen,” “The Dust Factory,” “Racing Stripes,” “Ice Princess,” “The Architect,” “Bring It On: All or Nothing,” “Fireflies in the Garden” and “I Love You, Beth Cooper.”Her television credits include “Law and Order: SVU,” “Robot Chicken,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Ally McBeal” and “Touched by an Angel,” as well as the television movies “Tiger Cruise,” “Normal,” and the Lifetime Original Movies “Lies My Mother Told Me” and “If You Believe.”
Panettiere’s roles have won her numerous accolades. She received the 2008 and 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Actress: Action/Adventure, as well as the 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice Celebrity Activist. Panettiere also received the Breakout Actress Award in 2007 at the Capri Hollywood Film Festival and the award for Favorite Clipped Dramatic Artist for the 2007 television season at the 1st Annual Wave Awards.
Panettiere is campaign spokesperson for the Whaleman Foundation, an oceanic research, conservation and production organization dedicated to preserving and protecting dolphins, whales and their ocean habitat. Since serving as spokesperson, she has traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress, was invited to the International Whaling Conference in Portugal and was featured in “The Cove,” a 2010 Oscar-winning documentary film exposing the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Panettiere’s involvement in animal welfare also led to her being the recipient of the Genesis Wyler Award from The Humane Society of the United States in 2007.
Panettiere’s impressive list of accomplishments also includes her ongoing association with Neutrogena. She also designed the popular “Hayden Bag” for Dooney & Bourke handbags.
Panettiere currently lives in Los Angeles.
-
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Character: Edda Mellas
Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden has forged a remarkable body of work, always staying true to her chameleon style of “becoming the character.” From the glamorous Ava Gardner in “Sinatra,” to the artist Lee Krasner in “Pollock” (for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), to the down-and-out Celeste in “Mystic River” (another Academy Award nomination), Harden has created a signature style based in character transformation. Her versatility and wide range have been praised in such films as “Miller’s Crossing,” “The First Wives Club,” “Meet Joe Black,” “Mona Lisa Smile,” “The Hoax” and “Used People.”
Harden has chosen a life away from mainstream Hollywood, crossing between independent and studio films, and television and theater. In 2009, she garnered a Best Actress Tony Award for her starring role in the Tony Award–winning Broadway play “God of Carnage.” Additionally, Harden received an Outer Circle Critics Award for her performance, as well as nominations from the Drama Desk and Drama League. That same year, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role in “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.” Other nominations include a Tony nomination for Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” (for which she won the Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards), an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance on “Law and Order: SVU” and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for “American Gun.”
Harden recently wrapped production on two independent films, “Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You” and “Detachment.” She also recently reprised her Emmy Award–nominated role on NBC’s “Law and Order: SVU.” Earlier this year, Harden finished production on “If I Were You.” Recent films include Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, “Whip It” (in which her daughter Eulala Scheel had a co-starring role), “The Maiden Heist,” “Canvas,” “Rails and Ties,” Stephen King’s “The Mist” (for which she won a Saturn Award), Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild” and “The Christmas Cottage.” On television, she co-starred in the critically acclaimed FX drama “Damages.”
Harden graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in theatre and from the graduate acting program at New York University with an MFA. She resides in Harlem with her husband and three children.