Hayden Panettiere's team allegedly planned an intervention before her death

Hayden Panettiere's team allegedly discussed organising an intervention for the actress before her death, according to the director of one of her final films.

Griff Furst, who directed Panettiere in the 2025 film A Breed Apart, said in an Instagram video on August 19 that the actress was "fighting to stay sober" while working on the movie. He claimed that members of her team later asked him to participate in an intervention because of concerns about her wellbeing.

Furst said he had been rooting for Panettiere to overcome the addiction issues she had previously discussed publicly. He also reflected on his own experiences growing up around film sets and the impact that early fame can have on child actors.

The director explained that filmmakers can make accommodations when they are concerned about an actor, but their ability to intervene directly is limited.

"You can adjust the schedule, you can collect internal reporting and you can assign a handler to make sure that that individual is being taken care of as best as they can," Furst said, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Furst said he remained in contact with Panettiere's team and was eventually asked to take part in the proposed intervention.

"I was asked to participate, and I said yes," he claimed. However, he said the intervention ultimately did not take place, at least as far as he was aware.

"I wasn't leading the charge on it. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me," Furst added.

Panettiere had been open for years about her struggles with addiction and sobriety. In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and in interviews earlier this year, she discussed her experiences with alcohol and substance abuse, as well as the difficulties she faced after becoming a child star.

Her death on August 16 at age 36 has brought renewed attention to those struggles. Panettiere was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency responders attempted to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, while her official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and toxicology testing.

Furst also spoke about Panettiere's former boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was reportedly with her during her final days. The director suggested that Panettiere deserved better support around her, although his comments did not establish any connection between Hickerson and her death.

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Panettiere's representatives for comment on Furst's claims.

The director's account offers another glimpse into the concerns surrounding Panettiere's wellbeing in the period before her death, but the alleged intervention was never carried out, and his claims have not been independently confirmed by Panettiere's team.