(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Hayden Panettiere has no boundaries when it comes to the roles shell play.

The actress is best known for her portrayal of cheerleader Claire Bennet in US TV show Heroes, but has been trying to move on from the character. She is keen to show her versatility and sparked surprise when she took the part of convicted murderer Amanda Knox in a television movie recently.

Panettiere insists shes always been drawn to such roles and finds them the most interesting.

I was always a rebel. Everything I wasn't supposed to do I wanted to do, so the darker for me the better. There are no boundaries, she explained. "I like to step in the places that are a little more dangerous."

The actress knows her decision to play Knox upset some people. The American student was convicted of killing her British roommate Meredith Kercher, who was found dead at their apartment in Italy in 2007. She was sentenced to 26 years in prison and has since appealed.

I went in and I was nervous, because I knew this was my time to really spread my wings and prove to myself that I could do such an intense piece, Panettiere told Vegas magazine.

"I always fear that the better I think I did, the more disappointed I'll end up being if it's not exactly the way I imagined it to be. But when I saw it, I was really, really happy with it. I feel like I didn't let myself down."

The 21-year-old is keen to keep pushing herself as much as possible. She hopes her age means shell land some juicy roles in the next few years, which shes looking forward to.

I feel like I'm finally getting to that place where I can play those in-their-early-20s roles, which are the ones you can really sink your teeth into, she explained. (C) Cover Media