Tuesday June 30, 2009

Hayden Panettiere missed her chance to meet her hero Michael Jackson — because of her hectic work schedule.

The actress grew up on the King of Pop’s music and was so excited when she thought she may meet him at a party.

“The Heroes schedule is grueling. Twelve to 14 hours a day straight,” she says. “There is no sitting down, for sometimes six or seven days a week.

“The only reason I missed meeting Michael Jackson is because on Halloween when I was supposed to go to a party that he was at, they had us working from 3pm to 7am and I missed Michael Jackson. I am so upset because I am a huge fan.”

Jackson died Thursday (June 25) after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50.

Hayden, 19, recently revealed that she was bullied at school.

“I was never the popular girl. I actually thought the worst was middle school, it was all about where you sat in the lunchroom,” she said. “And it was one of the most traumatizing experiences for me. I was absolutely tortured.

“I remember going to sit with the popular kids for the first time because one girl invited me over and one of the guys pulled the chair out from underneath me before I sat down and everyone started laughing. So, I was never the popular girl. Never, never, never.”

Tags: hayden panettiere, michael jackson