Actress in tune with role on ABC’s ‘Nashville’

  • By Frazier Moore Associated Press
  • Monday, October 28, 2013 4:50pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Hayden Panettiere says she loves life in Music City and her starring role in ABC’s tuneful melodrama “Nashville” (now in its second season, airing at 10 p.m. Wednesdays), all of which she loves.

She plays scheming breakout country sensation Juliette Barnes, who’s locked in a love-hate rivalry with country music queen Rayna Jaymes (co-star Connie Britton), whose long reign is threatened by Juliette’s rise.

Panettiere nails her role, displaying a deft blend of rapaciousness and vulnerability, not to mention impressive pipes.

In the process, she has pulled off two overarching victories. She’s left behind her past signature role, the indestructible Cheerleader in the sci-fi drama “Heroes” — a character that could have tied her down forever.

Even more remarkably: At 24, she’s crossed that treacherous Rubicon that few young actors navigate, from adolescence to the far shore of adulthood.

“‘Nashville’ was perfect timing with the perfect character,” she said. “Juliette is so not the good girl that I played on ‘Heroes,’ but she has to put on the facade as a good girl to get what she wants.

“Juliette is tough, but when she cries, she means it: She’s a very damaged young woman running from a dark past. How much more perfect could I ask for?”

Sure, Juliette is the show’s resident villain, “but you get to see her inner workings, what she goes through,” Panettiere said.

“It’s great to show the audience Juliette’s terrible behavior, and then show where that behavior came from: not from a place of malice, but of pain,” she said.

“A lot of what I’ve drawn from is my own personal experience,” she said. “I grew up in the entertainment industry, in the spotlight, and have had to deal with some of the same struggles.

“In this business, there are so many doors wide open to walk through and it looks like the normal thing to do.”

“The difference is, I’ve always had people around me to yank me back before I went too far,” she said.

Panettiere’s mother was an actress, her father a New York City firefighter, and she made her screen debut as an infant in a Playskool toys commercial.

Since then she’s never stopped acting, nor did she imagine doing anything else. But after “Heroes” ended in 2010, she faced a dry spell before “Nashville” came along.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” she said.”There is a genuine possibility that no one will ever take another chance on me. That was an important gap between ‘Heroes’ and this show, a huge transition to make gracefully. I don’t know how gracefully I did it, but somehow I did.”

Callie Khouri, “Nashville” creator and executive producer, said she was unconcerned while casting her new series that Panettiere might still be the Cheerleader in viewers’ minds.

“When she stood in front of the camera as Juliette, I saw the character that I needed, not the one she’d already done,” said Khouri by phone from Nashville, marveling at her range:

“She can go from being the worst little brat in the world to absolutely breaking your heart.”

Watch it

“Nashville” airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

A giant Bigfoot creation made by Terry Carrigan, 60, at his home-based Skywater Studios on Sunday, April 14, 2024 in Monroe, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The 1,500-pound Sasquatch: Bigfoot comes to life in woods near Monroe

A possibly larger-than-life sculpture, created by Terry Carrigan of Skywater Studios, will be featured at this weekend’s “Oddmall” expo.

Lewis the cat weaves his way through a row of participants during Kitten Yoga at the Everett Animal Shelter on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Downward cat? At kitten yoga in Everett, it’s all paw-sitive vibes

It wasn’t a stretch for furry felines to distract participants. Some cats left with new families — including a reporter.

The Ford Maverick has seating for five passengers. Its cargo bed is 4.5 feet long. (Photo provided by Ford)
2024 Ford Maverick compact pickup undergoes a switch

The previous standard engine is now optional. The previous optional engine is now standard.

Lily Gladstone poses at the premiere of the Hulu miniseries "Under the Bridge" at the DGA Theatre, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Mountlake Terrace’s Lily Gladstone plays cop in Hulu’s ‘Under the Bridge’

The true-crime drama started streaming Wednesday. It’s Gladstone’s first part since her star turn in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

2024 Genesis G70 Sport Prestige RWD (Photo provided by Genesis)
Genesis Unveils 2024 G70 Sports Prestige Sedan

Combining power, luxury, and innovation, Genesis raises the bar yet again with enhanced performance and cutting-edge features in its latest model.

wisteria flower in Japan
Give your garden a whole new dimension with climbing plants

From clematis and jasmine to wisteria and honeysuckle, let any of these vine varieties creep into your heart – and garden.

Lynnwood
New Jersey company acquires Lynnwood Land Rover dealership

Land Rover Seattle, now Land Rover Lynnwood, has been purchased by Holman, a 100-year-old company.

Great Plant Pick: Dark Beauty Epimedium

What: New foliage on epimedium grandiflorum Dark Beauty, also known as Fairy… Continue reading

While not an Alberto, Diego or Bruno, this table is in a ‘Giacometti style’

Works by the Giacometti brothers are both valuable and influential. Other artists’ work is often said to be in their style.

2024 Honda Civic Type R (Photo provided by Honda)
2024 Honda Civic Type R

Developed in Japan, and track-tested around the world, the Civic R Type delivers 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, making it Honda’s most powerful production vehicle in the U.S.

Suomenlinna
Soul sisters Helsinki and Tallinn are pearls of the Baltic

While they have their own stories to tell, these cities share a common heritage of Swedish and Russian influences.

My trip to Iraq was canceled, so why can’t I get my $7,590 back?

When Diane Gottlieb’s tour of Iraq is canceled, the tour operator offers her a voucher for a future trip. But she wants a refund.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.