The Lifetime Television original movie Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy explores whether Amanda Knox (Hayden Panettiere), the Seattle honors student accused of murdering her college roommate Meredith Kercher (Amanda Fernando Stevens) in 2007, with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito (Paolo Romio) and acquaintance Rudy Guede (Djirbi Kebe), actually committed the crime or was herself a victim. Referred to as “Foxy Knoxy” by her Italian prosecutor, Guiliani Mignini (Vincent Riotta), and the press, Amanda was painted as an oversexed, remorseless killer during the two-year trial leading up to her conviction and subsequent sentencing to 26 years in jail. The film is also accompanied by an hour-long documentary, called Beyond the Headlines: Amanda Knox, featuring Amanda’s mother and father, as well as friends, investigators, prosecutors and legal scholars, as it takes viewers inside the Italian justice system to reveal what it’s like to be a foreigner who is locked up and convicted in another country.

During a recent conference call to promote the film’s premiere, actress Hayden Panettiere talked about what interested her in this project, her preparation to play the real-life Amanda Knox, what she thinks about the reaction the family has had to the film, why she never got a chance to actually meet Amanda and why she was so intrigued by the controversy surrounding the case. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Over the years, Lifetime Television has had great success producing original movies, in particular, films inspired by true stories. Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, premiering February 21^st, stars Hayden Panettiere as the young woman who was accused and convicted of the crime of murdering her college roommate in Italy, but who many still believe is a victim of injustice.

During a recent interview to promote the film, Hayden Panettiere talked about playing a real-life person, how intense the emotions of this role were, and being true to who Amanda Knox is, regardless of her guilt or innocence. She also talked about her 4-year experience on Heroes, and what it was like to be a part of Scream 4, alongside the original cast members. Check out what she had to say after the jump: