Hayden Panettiere was an advocate for marine animals for almost 20 years. I first covered her advocacy in 2007, when she traveled to Japan to try and stop the brutal harvesting of dolphins for slaughter. Hayden was unsuccessful that day and she was moved to tears by the awful scene. Unfortunately the practice of herding dolphins in Taiji, Japan to use for meat and to put in captivity continues.

Two weeks before her death, Hayden recorded a spot for PETA advocating for captive marine mammals. She appeared in two scenes: in a bathtub with one bare arm and leg draped over the side and standing in front of the bathtub in a PETA t-shirt and jeans. She said “Imagine spending your entire life in a bathtub. That’s what it’s like for dolphins and whales in tiny tanks at marine amusement parks.”

Hayden went on to explain that dolphins swim up to 60 miles a day in pods and that they must be depressed and traumatized when confined to small tanks in amusement parks. The powerful one-minute spot was released by PETA on Tuesday and you can see it below. Here’s some of what PETA has released about Hayden’s commercial:

In a separate post, PETA shared a still image from Panettiere’s bathtub shoot and wrote about “one of the last acts of her short, impactful life.”

“Hayden Panettiere asked her audience and the world to think of dolphins and orcas and boycott marine parks 🤍 ,” PETA wrote. “In tribute to her life and legacy of compassion, we’re sharing the campaign, which marks a poignant final chapter in Panettiere’s fierce advocacy for marine mammals.”

The organization concluded, “Honor Hayden’s memory by refusing to buy a ticket to any place that condemns these remarkable animals to tiny concrete tanks.”

PETA shared another statement with Entertainment Weekly on Panettiere.

“Hayden Panettiere became a household name playing a hero on TV, but to animals, she was the real deal. She fearlessly paddled into the blood-stained waters of Taiji, Japan to stare down dolphin hunters during their annual massacre, a moment captured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, and never stopped denouncing marine parks like SeaWorld, calling their confinement of complex, far-ranging marine mammals in concrete tanks ‘disgusting.’ The world has lost a kind soul and the animals a fierce ally, and everyone at PETA holds her memory close.”

[From EW]

I saw PETA’s photo of Hayden in the bathtub and thought it was a tribute or stunt by PETA to re-release an older ad. Although I have really mixed feelings about PETA releasing it now, and about PETA in general, I think Hayden would have wanted her ad to come out. She cared deeply about marine animals in captivity. EW goes on to say that commenters are mentioning how Hayden’s life as a child actor has sad parallels. You can feel her empathy for these animals in this ad. That was Hayden’s gift and burden – she could make you feel her pain.