Director Griff Furst Says Hayden Panettiere’s Team Discussed an Intervention Before Her Death
Hayden Panettiere’s death has left friends, fans and people who worked with her reflecting on the struggles she faced throughout her life. Now, Griff Furst, the director of one of her final films, is sharing more about what he saw while working with the actress and what happened after production ended.
Furst directed Panettiere in the 2025 film A Breed Apart. In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said members of Panettiere’s team later asked him to take part in an intervention because they were concerned about her well-being.
Furst said he had been worried about Panettiere and wanted to support her, but he also stressed that directors and producers can have limited information about what an actor is dealing with away from the set.
“A producer or director, no matter how certain you are that an actor or crew member is in a bad situation, you don’t have the proof, or the benefit of the time to verify it,” Furst said.
He explained that productions can try to help in practical ways when they notice someone struggling. That can include changing schedules, gathering reports from people working on the production or assigning someone to keep an eye on the person.
According to Furst, he stayed in contact with Panettiere’s team after A Breed Apart finished filming. At some point, the team determined that she might need an intervention and asked Furst if he would participate.
“What eventually got determined was that she might need an intervention and I got asked to participate. I said yes,” he said.
However, Furst said the intervention never took place, at least as far as he knew. He also made clear that he was not responsible for organizing it.
“That intervention did not happen, at least not that I’m aware of, and I wasn’t leading the charge on that and it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me,” Furst said.
Panettiere died Sunday at 36. Authorities are investigating her death, but police said there were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances when she was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina. The DEA has also joined the investigation.
Reports about emergency dispatch audio have mentioned an apparent overdose and cardiac arrest, but those details have not been established as Panettiere’s official cause of death. An autopsy is expected to provide more information.
Furst focused much of his statement on Panettiere’s long history in the entertainment industry. She began acting when she was just 11 months old and became widely known as a child performer before moving into major roles in projects including Heroes and Scream.
“I grew up on movie sets and I know a whole lot of child actors very well,” Furst said. He added that he understands “what it does to somebody to grow up in front of a camera before they’re old enough to consent.”
Furst also said Panettiere had spoken openly about addiction in her memoir and that he had hoped she would overcome it.
Ultimately, he said his experience on A Breed Apart left him with the impression of someone trying to stay sober while surrounded by circumstances he found troubling.
“Somebody fighting to stay sober and who deserved better company around them than what I observed,” Furst said.
He ended his message by criticizing the entertainment industry’s long history of failing to adequately support people struggling with addiction and other problems.
“Hollywood has an extremely sad history of stars not getting the help that they deserve,” Furst said. “I was very lucky to work with Hayden. I wish she was still here.”
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