{"id":2424249,"date":"2026-05-20T03:32:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2424249"},"modified":"2026-05-20T03:32:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:32:02","slug":"hayden-panettiere-gets-honest-about-connie-britton-dynamic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/hayden-panettiere-gets-honest-about-connie-britton-dynamic\/","title":{"rendered":"Hayden Panettiere Gets Honest About Connie Britton Dynamic"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Hayden Panettiere<\/strong><\/a> has opened up about her relationship with costar Connie Britton<\/strong><\/a> when the pair worked together on Nashville<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In her debut memoir<\/a>, This Is Me: A Reckoning<\/em>, Panettiere, 36, wrote about how she grew concerned over her character Juliette Barnes\u2019 rivalry with Rayna James, played by Britton, 59, on the ABC and CMT drama series, pushing beyond fiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy character wasn\u2019t intended to be the show\u2019s star \u2014 not even close,\u201d Panettiere wrote in the book, which was released on Tuesday, May 19. \u201cThat honor went to Connie, whose Rayna Jaymes was in the twilight of her career, facing a dramatic turning point thanks to yours truly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panettiere\u2019s recollection continued, \u201cUnfortunately, 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\u2019s heels. I was deeply uncomfortable with this development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actresses worked together on Nashville<\/em>, 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..<\/p>\n

Prior to her memoir\u2019s release, Panettiere had only publicly hinted that there may have been tension within the costars\u2019 off-screen dynamic.<\/p>\n

In a September 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a>, the Heroes<\/em><\/a> alum admitted she \u201ckept apologising\u201d to Britton while filming the early episodes of Nashville<\/em> because she \u201cdidn\u2019t want to step on toes.\u201d Panettiere, who was 23 at the time, also admitted that following the pair\u2019s first scene together, she was \u201cjust so passive-aggressive to her [Britton].\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere Almost Auditioned for This Taylor Sheridan Role<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere has appeared in many memorable projects over the years, but there\u2019s one show she\u2019s bummed to have missed out on. \u201cThere was one audition I was supposed to do for Landman,\u201d she exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. \u201c[My former Heroes costar] Ali Larter\u2018s role is what I was reading [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Now, expanding in her book on how she viewed the duo\u2019s relationship back then, Panettiere detailed her headspace at the time. \u201cI was twenty-three years old, and Connie was in her forties with three Emmy nominations under her belt,\u201d Panettiere wrote. \u201cShe 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\u2014not my character\u2014was trying to compete with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\"\"
\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n