Director Griff Furst Under Fire for ‘Dark’ Energy Remark About Hayden Panettiere
Director Griff Furst came under fire Tuesday following his tribute for late actress Hayden Panettiere, with some blasting the post as “ambulance chasing.”
For those who didn’t see the video statement uploaded to Instagram, Furst, who directed Panettiere in one of her last movies, 2025’s “A Breed Apart,” explained he wanted to speak directly to his fans out of fear tabloids would take what he had to share “out of context.”
“I had met Hayden about 10 years before that and I knew that she was insanely talented, so when she signed on to do this picture that we were shooting, I was psyched,” Furst recalled. “I really wanted to work with her. So I’m on set, and I get word from the movie’s security team who picked her up from the airport that something was off.”
He continued: “I didn’t think much about it, and so I left set and I walked over to greet her and her boyfriend Brian [Hickerson]. He opened the door. Hayden was incredibly sweet and gracious and excited to work, but she was not okay.”
“I’m not going to get into the details of why that was, but having worked on over 100 movies and seeing just about everything, it was pretty clear that she wasn’t okay,” Furst noted. “And the energy in her room was pretty dark.”
Furst’s tribute didn’t sit well with several of Panettiere’s fans, with one critic suggesting his post felt “more like you trying to promote your film than your care for her.”
The fan added: “Ambulance chasing at its worst.”
“Ehhh I think this could be taken out of context as well,” actress Alexandra Grey wrote in the comments. “I don’t know if it’s the right timing. I think the only thing that we want hear is that you are grateful that you had an opportunity to work with such a talented individual. That’s kind of all I wanted to hear. I don’t know if we needed to know that the set was dark. The day after she passed unless there’s a message there which I didn’t quite get yet.”
A third follower expressed a similar sentiment, writing on this post, “There’s a difference between knowing something and saying something… When you’re someone’s friend you don’t do a post like this.”
A fourth fan urged the director to say, “No comment” in the future. “Golden Rule… if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it,” the follower responded. “If what happened on that set had any ties, influence, or impact regarding what just happened to Hayden, then speak to the police. This absolutely feels like you are using this tragedy as a podium. Not a good look. Two words for you sir – ‘No Comment.’”
A rep for Furst did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. However, Furst tried to explain his good intentions in the comments section, writing, “I chose to come here and share this directly because tabloids have been asking for statements, and I refuse to let this be taken out of context. Let’s keep the focus where it belongs: on the realities of addiction. If you or a friend are fighting this fight, reach out to SAMHSA at 1-800-662-4357. You aren’t alone.”
Panettiere, a veteran actress known for her work on “Heroes,” “Nashville,” the “Scream” franchise and “Remember the Titans,” was found unresponsive by emergency services responding to a 911 call in Greenville, S.C. on Sunday, with “no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances,” per the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. She died at the age of 36.
