Claire Bennet

Last updated

Claire Bennet
Heroes character
ClaireBennetpromo.jpg
Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet.
First appearance"Genesis"
Last appearance"Brave New World"
Portrayed by Hayden Panettiere
In-universe information
Alias"The Cheerleader"
"Claire Bear"
Children Tommy Clark
Malina Bennet
Relatives Nathan Petrelli (father)
Meredith Gordon (mother)
Lyle Bennet (adoptive brother)
Noah Bennet (adoptive father)
Peter Petrelli (paternal uncle)
Angela Petrelli (paternal grandmother)
AbilityRapid cellular regeneration

Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC psychological thriller superhero drama series Heroes . She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis", on September 25, 2006. She is a high school cheerleader with the power of rapid cellular regeneration. Claire appears in more episodes than any other character (72, plus a 73rd through stock footage). In Heroes Reborn , she dies while giving birth to Malina and Tommy.

Contents

Thanks to her power, she has an incredibly high pain tolerance; Claire states in "The Butterfly Effect" that, when injured, she feels pain just as severe as anyone else who was injured in such a way, but her power quickly deadens pain. When asked about this, series writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite would only comment that she "feels pain, but not the way most of us do." [1] Claire, describing her response to pain to West, says "I feel pain; I just get over it quickly." [2] Between her tolerance for pain and seemingly unlimited healing potential, Hayden Panettiere compares her character to the X-Men character Wolverine, although she is "less hairy and without claws." [3] Since having her brain examined by Sylar, Claire has stated that she no longer feels physical pain of any kind.[ citation needed ]

Casting

Marc Hirschfeld, executive vice president of casting for NBC Universal Television stated, "When they were trying to decide who the cheerleader should be, I literally picked up the phone and said to the producers, 'You've got to meet Hayden Panettiere.'" [4]

In an interview with Vanity Fair , Emma Stone revealed that she had auditioned for the role of Claire Bennet. She said it was her rock bottom Hollywood moment; she overheard, "You are our pick ... On a scale of 1 to 10 you’re an 11," and then she realised the role had gone to Hayden Panettiere. [5]

Reception and analysis

Panettiere received positive reviews for her work on the show throughout the series run, constantly being referred to as a "breakout star". Claire is also arguably one of the most popular characters on the show. UGO Networks listed Claire as one of their best heroes of all time. [6]

Professor of audiovisual arts Olvido Andújar Molina saw the character of Claire Bennet as a metaphor for the United States of America, as her role as a cheerleader functioned as one of the basic American cultural archetypes. Claire Bennet's special ability was regeneration from any kind of accident, which in this reading symbolizes the idea of the United States being invincible in the long term. Andújar Molina expands the idea to the character of Nathan Petrelli: As he is discovered as Claire's biological father, he represents the father figure and protector of the country as a whole. Andújar Molina thought that this identification of the characters, together with their presentation as heroes trying to save the world, contributed to their positive reception and identification with the audience. [7]

Sarah Godfrey and Hannah Hamad saw in the character a resurgence of the trope of the helpless girl in postfeminist, post-9/11 television: "Notwithstanding Claire Bennet's physical indestructibility, she remains contained by a narrative position that necessitates protection from a range of male characters." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayden Panettiere</span> American actress (born 1989)

Hayden Lesley Panettiere is an American actress and singer. She has starred as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series Heroes (2006–2010), Kirby Reed in the slasher horror franchise Scream (2011–2023), and Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical drama series Nashville (2012–2018). The latter earned her two nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

<i>Heroes</i> (American TV series) American television series (2006–2010)

Heroes is an American superhero drama television series created by Tim Kring that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006, to February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover that they have superhuman abilities and how these abilities take effect in the characters' lives as they work together to prevent catastrophic futures. The series emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of American comic books, using multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing narrative. It was produced by Tailwind Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. It was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California.

Genesis (<i>Heroes</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Heroes

"Genesis" is the pilot episode of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It was directed by David Semel and written by Tim Kring. The episode focuses on several of the main characters discovering their superpowers for the first time, and attempting to find out more about them. Some cast members, including Greg Grunberg and Leonard Roberts, do not appear in this episode, and are introduced later in the season.

"Company Man" is the seventeenth episode of the first season of the American superhero drama series Heroes. Written by Bryan Fuller and directed by Allan Arkush, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on February 25, 2007.

"The Line" is the sixth episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It aired on October 29, 2007 in the USA.

"Out of Time" is the seventh episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It aired on November 5, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elle Bishop</span> Fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes

Elle Bishop is a fictional character who appeared on the American psychological thriller superhero series Heroes, which aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010. The character was created by series creator Tim Kring and portrayed by actress Kristen Bell. Elle was created by Kring to act as a contrast to the rest of the characters, who had all recently found out they had abilities, whereas Elle had known her whole life. Bell, who had previously starred in the then recently cancelled series Veronica Mars, was a fan of the series and had met up with the writers that informed her they would love to have her on the show. While the character of Elle was created before Bell was cast, following her casting, the character was slightly altered to better resemble her. Elle was one of the new characters introduced in the second season and according to contract, would continue on the series for at least 13 episodes into season 3.

The Second Coming (<i>Heroes</i>) 1st episode of the 3rd season of Heroes

"The Second Coming" is the first episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and thirty-fifth episode overall. It was written by series creator/executive producer Tim Kring and directed by executive producer Allan Arkush. It first aired on September 22, 2008 as the beginning of the "Villains" storyline.

"The Eclipse" is a two-part episode, consisting of the tenth and eleventh episodes of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. The first part aired on November 24, 2008, and the second part aired on December 1, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building 26</span> 16th episode of the 3rd season of Heroes

"Building 26" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the superhero drama series Heroes and fiftieth episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2009 on the NBC network in the United States, its country of origin. The episode was written by Rob Fresco and was directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.

Hysterical Blindness (<i>Heroes</i>) 4th episode of the 4th season of Heroes

"Hysterical Blindness" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-third episode overall. The episode aired on October 12, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Once Upon a Time in Texas</span> 7th episode of the 4th season of Heroes

"Once Upon a Time in Texas" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-sixth episode overall. The episode aired on November 2, 2009.

Thanksgiving (<i>Heroes</i>) 10th episode of the 4th season of Heroes

"Thanksgiving" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-ninth episode overall. The episode aired on November 23, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pass/Fail</span> 15th episode of the 4th season of Heroes

"Pass/Fail" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, and the seventy-fourth episode overall. The episode aired on January 18, 2010.

<i>Heroes</i> season 1 Season of television series

The NBC superhero serial drama series Heroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various superhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The series premiered on American and Canadian television on September 25, 2006. The first season, which finished 21st of 142 American primetime television programs in Nielsen ratings, was released on DVD and HD DVD on August 28, 2007. The Blu-ray was released on August 26, 2008. Within the seasons of the show are "volumes", which allow the writers to focus on shorter story arcs. The first season comprises a single volume of 23 episodes called Genesis, which is also the same title of the show's pilot episode.

<i>Heroes</i> season 2 Season of television series

The NBC superhero drama television series Heroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various superhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The second season premiered on September 24, 2007, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2008.

<i>Heroes</i> season 3 Season of television series

The NBC superhero serial drama series Heroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various superhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The third season premiered on September 22, 2008, and was released on DVD on September 1, 2009.

References

  1. ↑ "Behind the Eclipse: Episode 7". Comic Book Resources. November 7, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Kindred". Heroes. Season 2. Episode 3. October 8, 2007.
  3. ↑ Douglas, Edward (August 7, 2006). "Exclusive: Heroes' Hayden Panettiere". SuperHeroHype . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ How the 'Heroes' cheerleader got the part Archived October 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Emma Stone: Hollywood Is Her Oyster". Vanity Fair. June 21, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ UGO Team (January 21, 2010). "Best Heroes of All Time". UGO Networks . Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ Andújar Molina, Olvido (2013). ""Salva a la animadora, salva el mundo": una lectura propagandística de la serie Heroes". Frame: Revista de cine de la Biblioteca de la Facultad de Comunicación. 9: 153–171.
  8. ↑ Godfrey, Sarah; Hamad, Hannah (2014). "Save the Cheerleader, Save the Males: Resurgent Protective Paternalism in Popular Film and Television after 9/11". In Ross, Karen (ed.). The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media. Wiley Blackwell. pp. 166–167, 170. ISBN   978-1-4443-3854-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.