Director Griff Furst recalled spotting a “red flag” in Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson‘s relationship while they were on set of his film, A Breed Apart.
“The first scene that I’m directing Hayden in, we are in the middle of a camera rehearsal and I’m at the monitor, and Hayden’s about 15 feet away on set,” the film producer, 44, said in a Monday, August 24, Instagram video, claiming that Hickerson, 37, made a remark that caught his attention. “And I feel Brian hovering over my shoulder, and he leans in and he says to me, ‘You let me know what you need her to do. I can get her to do anything.’”
Furst continued, “And my immediate reaction to that was, ‘What the f***?’ But what I said was, ‘All right,’ because what else do you say when you’re in the middle of rehearsal, and somebody you didn’t hire says that to you?”
Furst claimed that it felt like Hickerson was allegedly making a “direct attempt to control” which seemingly came off as a “bizarre power flex.”
“We could all see it, and we all wanted to help,” he recalled. “But spotting a red flag and then physically pulling somebody out of a toxic situation are very different things.”
While Furst questioned Hickerson and Panettiere’s relationship dynamic years ago, he doesn’t think Hickerson wanted Panettiere’s tragic death to occur.
“I don’t think anybody knows right now what happened to Hayden, and more so, I don’t believe that Brian wanted this tragedy to happen at all,” he shared. “But the dynamic that they were in was noticeably destructive, and he is just not the kind of person that you would want directing the life of a coworker or a friend or a mother or a daughter.”
Furst and Panettiere worked together on A Breed Apart which was released in 2025. The actress — who shared daughter Kaya, 11, with ex Wladimir Klitschko — and Hickerson were first linked in 2018 and dated on-and-off. The pair had a tumultuous relationship which included Hickerson’s multiple domestic violence arrests.
News broke that Panettiere died after suffering an apparent overdose on August 16 at age 36. According to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, “a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest.” First responders were unable to resuscitate the unresponsive woman, who was later identified as Panettiere. Hickerson was at the scene where Panettiere was found.
An autopsy determined there were “no signs of trauma,” but Panettiere’s cause of death has yet to be revealed. Her death remains under investigation.
Hickerson later broke his silence on Panettiere’s death in a statement via his lawyer.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” the statement to Us read. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
