Hayden Panettiere is back to being a hero with her new efforts to help stop the slaughter of dolphins and whales.

The young actress and five other surfers swam out to sea in an attempt to stop the annual slaughter of dolphins in Japan that takes the lives of 22,000 of these animals every year.

Panettiere faced an angry mob of Japanese fishermen with her small crew, and were able to make a difference.

In an interview with OMG, Panettiere opened up about her passion for marine life saying, "Well, I was on a film when I was 15. It was an independent film called "Shanghai Kiss" and the founder of the Whaleman Foundation, Jeff Pantukhoff, pulled me aside on the last day and said, "I know you're a fan of animals. Can I show you what I do?" He showed me footage of the dolphins and whales, and what was going on, and I said, "Absolutely, let me know what I can do”."

Also in the interview she spoke about going to Washington D.C.to be honored for her activism.

"When I turned 18, [it] was the first time that I really started concentrating on politics. And I started doing so because I realized that in order to really create and generate change, it has to come from changing laws ... so I started campaigning for Norman Lear's foundation, which was Declare Yourself.”

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Panettiere goes on to talk about really becoming active when she was 15. She said the seed for making a change was planted in her, "It was just because I was such a lover of animals, and I saw an animal in need. And then over time, and [through] spending time with these animals, and realizing how important our oceans are to us as humans, to our Earth."

The actress has kept busy since her breakthrough role in "Heroes" ended.

She recently played Amanda Knox in a Lifetime adaptation of the story and trial.

Panettiere heads back to movie screens tonight with her newest movie "Fireflies in the Garden," starring alongside Willem Dafoe, Carrie-Anne Moss, Julia Roberts, and Ryan Reynolds.