Hayden Panettiere says she "willed" her Scream character Kirby "back into existence" in order to rejoin the iconic horror franchise.

During Panettiere's appearance on Good Morning America Monday, the 33-year-old actress told cohost Michael Strahan that she "didn't know what I wanted to do next" after she took four years off from acting before she found an opportunity to return to Scream for its sixth installment.

"I did have to take those four years off, and thank God I did," Panettiere, who has not appeared on screen since the television series Nashville ended in 2018, said. "I had to work on myself, my mental health and my physical health, spiritual health. And then when [Scream] popped up and it came back around, I was like 'I want to be part of that again.' "

"I [had] hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willed her back into existence," she added of how she came to return to the franchise. "I called them. I actually called them when I heard they were doing Scream 5 and I was like 'without me? Wait, hold on, I might still be alive and I could come in handy.' "

Panettiere's Kirby plays a significant role in Scream 4 (2011) as the best friend of Emma Roberts' character Jill, but her fate was largely left up in the air after over a decade passed between sequels in the meta-slasher series.

When asked how Panettiere found out Kirby would return, the actress revealed that she initiated the process herself.

"I found out after I called them over the phone and I forced them [to add Kirby in]," she told Strahan. "They were like, 'Oh, that's a great idea. We didn't know [she was alive], but we're gonna put that in and we're going to do it like this.' "

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Eagle-eyed Scream fans noticed Easter eggs in 2022's fifth installment seemingly confirming Kirby was still alive; multiple outlets first reported Panettiere's return for Scream VI in May 2022.

"They like to keep their secrets," the actress added of how exactly Kirby will be re-introduced to the franchise.

Paramount Pictures

Panettiere, whose younger brother Jansen died at 28 in February, previously opened up to PEOPLE in July 2022 about surviving an abusive relationship with Brian Hickerson, whom she dated on and off for nearly four years starting in 2018.

"None of it is OK, and I want to make sure that everybody knows that," she said of her ex-boyfriend's behavior. Hickerson was charged with domestic violence multiple times during their relationship and spent 13 days in jail in 2021 after he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner.

"But I am open to people who are willing to get help and make amends. He's gone to treatment and done his time," Panettiere told PEOPLE at the time. "And I'm trying to live in a place of forgiveness."

Scream VI is in theaters March 10.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.