Hayden Panettiere has opened up about her relationship with costar Connie Britton when the pair worked together on Nashville.
In her debut memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere, 36, wrote about how she grew concerned over her character Juliette Barnes’ rivalry with Rayna James, played by Britton, 59, on the ABC and CMT drama series, pushing beyond fiction.
“My character wasn’t intended to be the show’s star — not even close,” Panettiere wrote in the book, which was released on Tuesday, May 19. “That honor went to Connie, whose Rayna Jaymes was in the twilight of her career, facing a dramatic turning point thanks to yours truly.”
Panettiere’s recollection continued, “Unfortunately, after the pilot, it was clear that my billing had gone way up. I went from maybe number five in terms of importance to nipping at Connie’s heels. I was deeply uncomfortable with this development.”
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The actresses worked together on Nashville, which debuted in October 2012 and aired on ABC for four seasons before CMT picked the show up in December 2016 for its final two years..
Prior to her memoir’s release, Panettiere had only publicly hinted that there may have been tension within the costars’ off-screen dynamic.
In a September 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Heroes alum admitted she “kept apologising” to Britton while filming the early episodes of Nashville because she “didn’t want to step on toes.” Panettiere, who was 23 at the time, also admitted that following the pair’s first scene together, she was “just so passive-aggressive to her [Britton].”
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Now, expanding in her book on how she viewed the duo’s relationship back then, Panettiere detailed her headspace at the time. “I was twenty-three years old, and Connie was in her forties with three Emmy nominations under her belt,” Panettiere wrote. “She was also a new mom. This should have been her time to shine, and while it was in many respects, I was terrified of making Connie worry that I—not my character—was trying to compete with her.”
The book, which reflects on several of Panettiere’s controversies over the years including her romance with Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia when he was 30 and she was 18, and the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of her ex Brian Hickerson, also revealed that she took actions to ensure she was never undermining Britton on set.
“We were directed to saunter toward the mic stand and—at the same time—reach to grab it. This would insinuate our characters’ rivalry,” Panettiere wrote. “I always made sure to grab the mic under Connie’s hand, showing her I came in peace and with respect.”
She continued, “I don’t know if she noticed, but I did; I was not going to step on the toes of Rayna Jaymes or Connie Britton.”
