Claim: Sheryl Yoast was the character that Hayden Panettiere portrayed in Guiding Light.

Hayden Leslie Panettiere -LRB- born August 21 , 1989 -RRB- is an American actress , model , singer , and activist . She is known for her roles as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes -LRB- 2006 -- 10 -RRB- , Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical-drama series Nashville -LRB- 2012 -- present -RRB- and Kairi in the video game series Kingdom Hearts .   A native of New York City , she first appeared in a commercial at the age of 11 months . She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live -LRB- 1994 -- 97 -RRB- , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light -LRB- 1996 -- 2000 -RRB- , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in the Disney feature film Remember the Titans . Other notable roles include her portrayal of the title character in the true crime drama Amanda Knox : Murder on Trial in Italy and Kirby Reed in the slasher film Scream 4 . She received two nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film , for her work on Nashville in 2012 and 2013 .