Griff Furst, who directed Hayden Panettiere in one of her final film roles, says he sensed something was deeply wrong when the actress arrived on set accompanied by her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, just before her death this week at age 36.
Panettiere died Sunday at an apartment building in South Carolina, where Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were reportedly present. Furst directed her in 2025’s “A Breed Apart,” an action-horror film that became her second-to-last screen credit, and recalled feeling initial excitement about reuniting with an actress he had known for a decade. That excitement shifted quickly once production began. “Hayden was incredibly sweet and gracious and excited to work, but she was not okay,” Furst said, describing the moment Hickerson opened the door to greet him.
Furst stopped short of detailing exactly what alarmed him, citing decades of on-set experience that gave him confidence something was wrong regardless. “I’m not gonna 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,” he said. “And the energy in her room was pretty dark.”
Hickerson has a documented history of domestic violence charges stemming from incidents involving Panettiere, and the two maintained an on-again, off-again relationship despite that history. Panettiere had spoken candidly in recent months about her long struggles with substance abuse and alcoholism, including in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which Furst said had left him hopeful about her trajectory. “Recently, with her new book and the press she’s been doing, I believed she was getting better,” he said. “We’d even talked about doing another picture together recently, which is what makes this news hit even harder.”
Furst described Panettiere as “incredible” and a genuine talent, a sentiment echoed across the industry in the days following her death. Best known for playing Claire Bennet on “Heroes” and for her role in the “Scream” franchise, she leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former partner Wladimir Klitschko.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357.
