Ethan Suplee has paid tribute to his Remember the Titans co-star Hayden Panettiere, sharing how her “energy and innocence” briefly healed him during a difficult period.

The My Name Is Earl alum, 50, played Louie Lastik, based on the real-life football star Lewis Lastik, in the Denzel Washington-led 2000 biographical sports drama about a Virginia high school football coach’s attempt to integrate the T. C. Williams High School team. Panettiere, who was 10 at the time, portrayed passionate Sheryl Yoast, the young daughter of assistant coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton).

Sharing an old photo of him holding Panettiere at the film’s red carpet premiere, Suplee recalled on Instagram how she “ran up to me, leaped into my arms, and gave me a big hug.”

“Holding her I was lighter, some of her energy and innocence washed over me, and for a moment my smile was genuine,” he added in the caption, revealing that soon after, he “went from the press line to the bathroom and smoked heroin.”

In a Substack post, the actor further opened up about his struggles, recounting that he showed up late to the “cast meetup with our real-life counterparts.”

“When I finally got there and met the real Louis Lastik, he wasn’t fat. Not like I was. I imagined his disappointment at seeing who they’d gotten to play him. So I went back to the bathroom and smoked heroin,” Suplee continued.

“While the movie played, I sat in the bathroom, cried, and smoked heroin,” he admitted. “I saw Hayden one last time, as we made our way out of the stadium. Once again, she leaped into my arms, and once again I felt some relief.”

Suplee said that although he didn’t die of an accidental overdose that night, he “went to bed believing I wouldn’t wake up, and that didn’t seem so bad. Better than whatever a new day offered.”

Reacting to the news of Panettiere’s death at 36, he said: “I feel a tremendous sense of loss today.”

While the Nashville star’s cause of death has not yet been released, she was found in cardiac arrest, with officials confirming there were no signs of trauma or foul play. Still, an investigation is underway, as outlets have reported that a 911 call mentioned an apparent “overdose.”

Panettiere had been open about her past addiction to opioids and alcohol, revealing in her recent memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, that she was given “happy pills” as a teenager to keep her peppy during interviews and red carpet events.

“They were the gateway drug that ushered me toward the good of pharmaceuticals and the downfall of addiction,” she wrote.

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In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP