Director Griff Furst has publicly shared an alleged on-set remark made by Brian Hickerson about his girlfriend, actress Hayden Panettiere, describing it as a "bizarre power flex." Furst detailed the interaction in an Instagram video, recounting a moment during camera rehearsal for the 2025 film "A Breed Apart."

According to Furst, Hickerson approached him and stated, "You let me know what you need her to do — I can get her to do anything." Furst, who directed Panettiere in "Lake Placid 3," said his initial reaction was disbelief and confusion, but he proceeded with the rehearsal.

Furst suggested that the dynamic between Panettiere and Hickerson appeared "noticeably destructive." He drew parallels to the circumstances surrounding the death of actress Brittany Murphy, with whom Furst had worked about a year before her passing. He noted that Murphy, like Panettiere, was a "brilliant, incredibly gifted woman" who became involved with a partner who was accused of isolating her and controlling her career.

"I’ve seen scores of people who have [been] lost to substance [abuse], and on their way down" due to their associations, Furst stated, adding that "these tragedies seem to always be preceded by an identifiable pattern." He explained his decision to speak out was because the situation is "in the spotlight."

Panettiere was found unresponsive in a South Carolina Airbnb on August 16. Her death was reported by Brian Hickerson's brother, Zach Hickerson, who stated that Brian was asleep in another room at the residence at the time. A police report indicated that Panettiere was taking a "bag of medication" prior to her death. The official cause of death has not yet been released.

Brian Hickerson had been arrested multiple times for alleged abuse of Panettiere. According to the police report obtained by Page Six, he "did not become emotional" until Panettiere was officially pronounced dead. She was 36 years old. Furst also claimed last week that Panettiere's team had been attempting to stage an intervention prior to her death.

Page Six has reached out to Hickerson's attorneys for comment but had not received a response at the time of reporting.