So young, so sad.
Hayden was my buddy when we worked together on Ally McBeal. She used to insist on me giving her piggyback rides to set. She was about 10 or 11. I liked her and her whole family. She was sort of coming of age — I remember she was enamored with her co-star on that season: Jon Bon Jovi, who apparently had a great butt, as she squealed to her girlfriends at the time. It was cute.
While filming, I knew she was a good actress. The show’s casting director had a good eye for talent. We had Robert Downey Jr. the season before. I was happy to see her go on and enjoy success in Racing Stripes, SVU, Heroes, Amanda Knox and Nashville, to name a few of her projects. It’s simply heartbreaking to lose her so soon.