Working on set of the ABC series “Nashville” was a cold and unsupportive experience, the show’s star Hayden Panettiere told The Times of London in an interview published Saturday. “It’s just shocking to me how little empathy people had,” she said. “There were plenty of people who made the choice to not protect me.”
Panettiere starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on the series from 2012-2018. Her character battled postpartum depression and addiction, and eventually found herself locked in a custody battle with an ex. The actress was simultaneously fighting the exact same battles in real life – something she found odd.
“My character, Juliette, and me as Hayden, I didn’t know where one person began and the other one ended,” she told the outlet.
The actress spoke to the outlet while supporting her new memoir, “This Is Me.” Of her ex-boyfriend, Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares 11-year-old Kaya, she said, “You don’t have to agree with everything that somebody does. You can still love them and try to figure out how to overcome those obstacles together.”
Klitschko took the pair’s daughter to his native Ukraine and sued for full custody in 2018. She and her daughter have a strong relationship now, despite the fact that it mostly takes place long distance.
“It’s not nearly as often as I wish. I want my child next to me every single day,” she explained. “I have such a great relationship with her. It’s so unique because of our situation, the distance between us and having to find other ways to really bond.”
She also describes a culture in which “I was raw meat laid out for a bunch of hyenas to devour every single day,” whether that was paparazzi – or worse. She says a female friend invited her to a superyacht in the south of France and lured her into a cabin where a British star was lying in wait. Though she immediately packed her things and left, she recalls:
“It was as close to being human trafficked as I have ever experienced, especially being on a boat in the middle of the ocean,” she says. “You were stuck and you realise, ‘Oh, this is why they choose to do it in places like this.’”
Panettiere was compelled to address a video interview with People in 2024 after fans expressed concern about her health and appearance. “I would like to take a moment to address the controversy surrounding an interview I recently completed with PEOPLE Magazine,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s unfathomable that I’m even in this position, but I feel forced to address it in a space where I won’t be criticized for how fast or slow I speak.”
“I hadn’t slept for two days prior to the shoot due to one of my dogs who was recovering from an emergency surgical procedure,” she continued. “It was an 8-hour shoot followed by an on-camera interview that was supposed to last for 1 hour. The interview started well, and for the record, its beginning is not included in the version PEOPLE Magazine posted.”
“I was exhausted. My rep stopped the interview early as it became obvious that I was fading — especially as the subject matter became heavier,” Panettiere also said.
