Filmmaker Griff Furst, who worked with actress Hayden Panettiere on the motion picture "A Breed Apart," has revealed a disturbing comment Brian Hickerson allegedly made on set, suggesting he could control Panettiere.
Furst, 44, shared the anecdote on Instagram, recounting an interaction during a camera rehearsal. He claimed Hickerson, Panettiere's on-off boyfriend, approached him and said, "You let me know what you need her to do – I can get her to do anything."
"My immediate reaction to that was, 'What the f***?'" Furst stated, adding that he responded cautiously due to being in the middle of a rehearsal. He described the remark as a "bizarre power flex" and a "direct attempt to control."
Panettiere was found dead at age 36 on August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina. Hickerson was present at the scene when she was pronounced dead. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.
Furst drew parallels between Panettiere's situation and that of the late actress Brittany Murphy, with whom he also worked. He recalled Murphy as a "brilliant, incredibly gifted woman who got sucked into a dark place alongside the partner that she chose." He suggested that tragedies like these are often preceded by identifiable patterns, amplified by the company people keep.
Furst stated that while he doesn't believe Hickerson intended for tragedy to occur, the dynamic between him and Panettiere was "noticeably destructive." He also mentioned that Panettiere's team had asked him to participate in an intervention for her, which he believes ultimately did not happen.
During filming of "A Breed Apart," Furst observed that Panettiere "was fighting to stay sober." He noted that while he and others on set could see she was in a bad situation, intervening physically is different from recognizing a red flag. As a director, his available actions were limited to adjusting schedules, collecting internal reports, and assigning a handler.
Panettiere had a long struggle with alcohol and opiates, and in 2020, she spent eight months in rehab, informed by her doctor that she had five years to live if she did not stop drinking. In 2018, she voluntarily gave up custody of her daughter Kaya to her father, Ukrainian boxing star Wladimir Klitschko, to focus on her recovery.
Furst worked with Panettiere approximately 10 years before "A Breed Apart." He remembered security team members mentioning something seemed off when picking her up from the airport. Upon meeting her and Hickerson, Furst described Panettiere as "incredibly sweet and gracious and excited to work," but added, "she was not okay."
Justin Chatwin, Panettiere's co-star in her final movie "Sleepwalker," also reflected on her apparent loneliness during filming. He noted that while she was sweet on set, she was also authentic with him about her struggles with addiction, suggesting that the pressures of both Hollywood and home life can contribute to such difficulties.