Griff Furst, a co-director on one of Hayden Panettiere's final films, has stated that the actress's team approached him to join an intervention for her, an effort that ultimately did not occur. Panettiere, 36, was found dead on Sunday at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina. Her on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, who has a history of domestic violence against her, was present at the scene along with his brother. An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.
Furst, who worked with Panettiere on the 2025 film "A Breed Apart," said that during filming, the actress was "fighting to stay sober." He recalled that when Panettiere brought Hickerson to the set, the "energy in her room was pretty dark," and he felt she "deserved better company" than what he observed. Furst noted that while he was on set, he could implement measures such as adjusting schedules, collecting internal reports, and assigning a handler to ensure an actor's well-being, but he lacked the proof or time to verify deeper issues.
He further alleged that after filming concluded, he remained in contact with Panettiere's team. "What eventually got determined was that she might need an intervention, and I was asked to participate and I said yes," Furst said. "However that intervention did not happen, at least not that I'm aware of."
Panettiere's struggles with alcohol and opiates were well-documented. In 2020, she spent eight months in rehab after a doctor warned her that continuing to drink could be fatal within five years. In 2018, she relinquished custody of her then-11-year-old daughter, Kaya, to her father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, to focus on her recovery.
Furst's account emerged as Justin Chatwin, Panettiere's co-star in her last film "Sleepwalker," shared his observations of her during filming last year. Chatwin described Panettiere as seeming "lonely" and noted that while she was a "sweet person on set," she had opened up to him about her struggles with addiction. He recalled her as having a "beautiful heart" but acknowledged the facade often maintained by actors. "We're trained to be actors, so we're acting on set, you know? And she is sweet. She had a beautiful heart. But we're trained to be on, and I really liked spending time with her because she took that off, and she was authentic with me about her life and she opened up about her struggles with addiction," he revealed. Chatwin, who has been sober for 15 years, recognized the world of addiction and its toll, especially in Hollywood.
Panettiere's relationship with Hickerson began in 2018, during a period of intense substance abuse and following her split from Klitschko. Hickerson faced multiple domestic violence charges during their relationship, including serving 13 days in prison in 2021 for injuring her. According to the police report, Hickerson handed authorities a bag of medication belonging to Panettiere after her death. While his brother was reportedly emotional during attempts to revive Panettiere, Hickerson is said to have remained impassive until she was pronounced dead.
Panettiere's memoir also detailed her difficult relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel, who had served as her manager during her childhood. Vogel described their estrangement as a recent occurrence, stating in May that after two decades of "trauma, chaos, addictions [and] accusations," she felt compelled to cease contact. Amidst the revelations, reports also surfaced of romance rumors between Panettiere and pastor Zach in 2019.