Hayden Panettiere’s final years have come into sharper focus following the actress’ death, with one of her last film directors revealing that concerns about her well-being had extended beyond the set.
Griff Furst, who directed “A Breed Apart,” has described an actress who was struggling while working on the 2025 film and later revealed that he was asked to participate in a possible intervention.
His account also sheds new light on the difficult circumstances surrounding her time on set.
When Hayden Panettiere arrived to film “A Breed Apart,” Furst already knew the actress’s talent and was excited to work with her.
The director had met her roughly a decade earlier and was enthusiastic when she signed onto the movie, which was released in May 2025.
However, the excitement quickly gave way to concern. Furst recalled being alerted by the film’s security team that something seemed wrong after Panettiere was collected from the airport.
When he went to greet her and her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, he said Panettiere herself was warm and eager to work, but her condition appeared troubling.
“She was not okay,” Furst said in a recent Instagram video shared after her death. He explained that his experience working on more than 100 movies had given him enough perspective to recognize that something was wrong.
“I’m not going to get into the details of why that was, but having worked on over 100 movies and seeing just about everything, it was pretty clear that she wasn’t okay and the energy in her room was pretty dark,” he added.
Furst said he and the production took steps within their power to support her, while recognizing the limits of what filmmakers could know or intervene in with certainty.
Panettiere Was The Subject Of Intervention Talks After Filming
The director later revealed that his concerns did not disappear when production ended. Furst said he remained in contact with Hayden Panettiere’s team after “A Breed Apart” wrapped, and the situation eventually prompted discussions about whether she needed more substantial help.
“A producer or director, no matter how certain you are that an actor or crew member is in a bad situation, you don’t have the proof, or the benefit of the time to verify it,” Furst explained.
He said productions could make practical adjustments, including changing schedules, collecting internal reports and assigning someone to look after an individual as closely as possible.
After filming ended, however, Furst said the conversations moved beyond those measures. According to him, “What eventually got determined was that she might need an intervention and I got asked to participate.”
He agreed, but emphasized that he was not responsible for organizing it. “I said yes, and that intervention did not happen, at least not that I’m aware of, and I wasn’t leading the charge on that and it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me,” Furst said.
Hayden Panettiere’s Struggle And The People Around Her Remain Part Of The Story
4Furst also addressed questions about Hickerson, who was with Panettiere during the film shoot.
Rather than speculate about circumstances he did not personally witness, the director said his comments were based on what he observed on his own production.
“All I know about that is what we observed and wrote down at the time that it happened, with her boyfriend Brian Hickerson,” Furst said.
He added, “I wasn’t in South Carolina, I don’t know what happened, but what I will say is my opinion, and it’s about what I saw on my own set, somebody fighting to stay sober and who deserved better company around them than what I observed … I was very lucky to work with Hayden. I wish she was still here.”
Furst had previously described Panettiere as someone who was openly fighting addiction, saying he had been “rooting” for the “Nashville” star to overcome the struggles she had discussed herself publicly.
His reflections came just days after Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, at the age of 36.
DEA Joins Investigation Into Panettiere’s Death
4The investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death has taken a new turn, with the Drug Enforcement Administration now joining South Carolina authorities in examining the circumstances surrounding her passing.
As The Blast reported, insiders revealed that the DEA entered the investigation being conducted by the Greenville Police Department and the local coroner’s office.
Recall that Panettiere was found unresponsive at a South Carolina residence after emergency responders received a cardiac-arrest call.
Paramedics reportedly attempted advanced life support and CPR before she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, but her official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined because toxicology testing remains pending.
Reports also noted that Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was found at the scene.
An incident report said Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, was the person who called 911 and later showed police a “bag of medication” that belonged to the actress.
Hayden Panettiere Had Planned To Spend Her 37th Birthday With Daughter Kaya
4While investigators continue trying to establish what happened to Panettiere, details about what she had been looking forward to shortly before her death have offered a more personal glimpse into her final days.
Sources told Page Six that she had been making plans to travel to Germany to spend her 37th birthday on August 21 with her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
Kaya lives in Germany with her father and Panettiere’s former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, and sources said the actress was excited about seeing her daughter again.
Her hairstylist and close friend Erick Orellana reportedly said the doting mom spoke frequently about Kaya and described her daughter as “the light of her life.”
Orellana also reportedly believed Panettiere’s death was accidental, pointing to how deeply she loved her daughter.