We know she plays an indestructible cheerleader on the hit TV show Heroes… but offscreen, Hayden Panettiere is just about as fierce.

At first, Hayden seems to have perfected the glamorous celebrity aura, as evidenced by her chic, head-to-toe black ensemble — complete with Ray-Bans perched on her head and sexy thigh-high boots on her teeny, size-5 feet.

But Hayden Panettiere is not concerned with perpetuating Hollywood ideals.

Read her interview with Cosmopolitan and see why.

Here’s one undecided voter who expects to be personally wooed by the Democratic candidates: Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.

The 18-year-old cutie said that she was “not yet prepared to say” which of the White House hopefuls she is supporting.

“I had a conversation with Barack Obama,” she said. “I’m waiting to hear from Hillary Clinton.”

The decisive issue for the actress? Saving the whales.

A source tells Us Weekly that when Hayden Panettiere attended a February 1 dinner with Chelsea Clinton, “Hayden made it clear to Chelsea she’ll vote for whoever will help save the whales.”

Hillary? Barack? Time to step it up.

She may be one of the hottest stars in Hollywood, but lest we forget that Hayden Panettiere is just a kid, here’s a photo of our girl reading up on some Harry Potter. So cute. Hayden Panettiere, that is. The book? Your call.

As if Hayden Panettiere weren’t popular enough with certain fans…

In the latest GQ, Hayden Panettiere gives an interview like never before, in which she talks about Heroes, fame, the fall of Britney Spears, Halo (her relationship with Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia), what girls she crushes and more …

GQ: When will you become the latest screwed-up girl in Hollywood?
Hayden Panettiere: Never, never. Cross our fingers.

GQ: We can’t schedule it for your 21st birthday or anything?
Hayden Panettiere: You can’t schedule rehab for me. And I don’t think you can schedule any DUIs. I think I’m going to be one of those boring girls.

GQ: Will you at least go into a gas-station bathroom without shoes on?
Hayden Panettiere: No, that’s disgusting. I’ve walked around other places maybe without my shoes on, but not bathrooms.

GQ: Tell us about your couple of years, since Heroes began.
Hayden Panettiere: This business turns life upside down. For some strange reason, I’ve become one of the targets of the paparazzi. Things get crazy.

Continue reading this interview with Hayden Panettiere …

Hayden Panettiere was spotted at her Los Angeles gym this week, where she did her early morning workout. Whether she’s preparing for stunts as Claire Bennet, or for her next dolphin protest, it’s good to see Hayden staying in shape.

Hayden Panettiere: A very cute gym rat!

We know that to Hayden Panettiere, dolphins and their safety are a major priority. But she’s also a fan of sharks… at least large stuffed versions of them.

Here, Hayden Panettiere hangs out with a fierce looking toy at the Los Angeles premiere of the award-winning documentary, Sharkwater, Thursday.

Another cute picture. Scroll down the page or follow this link for a full account of Hayden trying to save the dolphins in Japan along with other protesters.

She may not be indestructible like Claire, but Heroes cheerleader Hayden Panettiere is trying to save the world in her own way.

The 18-year-old actress was involved in a violent confrontation with Japanese fishermen as she tried to disrupt a dolphin slaughter.

Hayden was one of six surfers from Australia and the United States who were intercepted by a fishing boat before they could reach dolphins they hoped to save from being drive into a nearby cove and killed.

The angry fishermen used the boat’s propellers to block the protesters’ way, and at one point struck out at Hayden Panettiere and her cohorts with a boathook.

It was an ugly, potentially life-threatening confrontation that lasted more than 10 minutes before the surfers were forced to return to the beach.

Hayden Panettiere, a keen surfer, committed marine conservationist and supporter of the campaign to save Japan’s dolphins, said:

“It was really frightening. Some of us were hit by the boathook. But in the end all we really worried about was the dolphins. It was so incredibly sad. We were so close to them and they were sky hopping, jumping out of the water to see us.”

Breaking down, she added: “One little baby dolphin stuck his head outand kinda looked at me and the thought that it’s no longer with us is really hard to take.”

“I couldn’t believe how red the water was,” the Heroes star said in a statement issued through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. “The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won’t be in vain.”

Following the incident, the surfers drove straight to Osaka airport and left the country to avoid arrest by the Japanese national police.

More than 22,000 dolphins are slaughtered by fishermen in Japan every year. The hunt continues despite worldwide condemnation.

A lot of celebrities wear the same dresses from time to time. But who will prevail in a fashion face-off featuring foxy Hayden Panettiere and Jessica Simpson?

The Heroes superstar took Manhattan by storm with her very sexy “What Comes Around Goes Around minidress back in September, while Simpson dazzled in a very similar sequined minidress at a Clothes Off Our Backs event in L.A.

Who wore it better, Hayden Panettiere or Jessica Simpson? You tell us!

They may deny any sort of romantic relationship, and Heroes co-stars James Kyson Lee, Masi Oka and Kristen Bell have all said they’re not an item.

But come on. We all know Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere are an item. Enough with the denials, just admit it already. We approve of Halo!

The latest sign that Milo Ventimiglia has been showing Hayden Panettiere his affections? He bought her a ring… from Tiffany & Co.

According to In Touch Weekly, Milo, 30, gave Hayden Panettiere, 18, an 18-karat yellow gold ring worth $1,950 as a belated birthday present.

The ring, called Somerset Heart, features a woven band and a heart, and according to the magazine, is inscribed, “Sweet like Hayden.” Awww.

Hayden Panettiere’s co-star on Heroes, Jack Coleman, recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about what makes Hayden a great actress.

Pointing to one scene from the episode “Company Man” as well as Hayden’s hard work and positive demeanor, here’s what Jack Coleman had to say…

Entertainment Weekly: You have great chemistry with Hayden Panettiere — was it easy for you to develop a rapport with her?

Jack Coleman: The scene that we did in the pilot where I come home and she comes running into my arms, we’d known each other for about 45 seconds when we shot that. I was the guest star. I come out of my trailer, we’re about to shoot, she comes out with “Daddy!” I thought, “Wow, this is a very open actor.” I was really kind of blown away.

Hayden Panettiere has chemistry with everybody. She’s invested in whoever she is looking at and acting with, and I think that’s something that’s really special about her. She’s very savvy about the camera, but she’s not giving it to the camera, she’s giving it to the actor. We had a scene right before “Company Man” where, in the hospital, she finally blows up and yells at me. We had to do a lot of coverage of her, and she’s crying throughout, for several hours, and it’s exhausting.

And we did all her coverage, and then the camera came around and shot me, and all the tears came, and she’s off-camera. Hayden Panettiere invests. It’s funny, all this talk in the media about her being another “teenage starlet” wondering if she’ll go the way of other young celebrities.

People need to pay attention to her work. Her work is really good. It’d be nice if people talked about that sometime instead of just everywhere she’s going, or who she’s dating, and whether or not she’s going to run off the rails.

And by the way? I don’t see that happening.