The actress opens up about her on-screen rivalry with Britton, how their off-camera bond helped shape the show, and the lasting impact of their partnership as Nashville arrives on Netflix
Hayden Panettiere is looking back on her early days filming Nashville and the nerves that came with sharing her first scene with co-star Connie Britton.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly to mark the show’s arrival on Netflix, the actress recalled filming her very first encounter with Britton’s character, Rayna James, inside the iconic Ryman Auditorium. Panettiere, who was just 22 at the time, admitted she couldn’t stop apologizing to Britton after the cameras stopped rolling.
“I remember the first scene that I ever did with her. It was in the Ryman, backstage, and Rayna comes in and says something nice to me. I was just so passive-aggressive to her,” Panettiere said. “I kept apologizing to her, going, ‘I am so sorry!’ Because that was our first experience together, and I didn’t want to step on toes. Sometimes it gets real, very real, you know?”
On screen, their characters were pitted against each other from the start. Britton’s established country queen Rayna James extended a kind hand to Panettiere’s ambitious rising star Juliette Barnes, only to be met with condescension. That tension, which began in the very first episode, ultimately became the backbone of the six-season melodrama.
Panettiere explained that Nashville was initially designed as a solo vehicle for Britton’s character, but when audiences responded strongly to Juliette, the show was reworked into a tale of rivalry, competition, and reluctant respect between two women fighting for space in the spotlight.
“It was difficult to play that sometimes, that competitiveness, where we were in opposition and against each other,” she admitted. “And it’s not what we thought it was going to be, so it was very difficult to step in. But Connie was amazing and so supportive.”
Despite the on-screen rivalry, Panettiere said their bond behind the scenes grounded them both. “Connie is just a class act. She is so smart and so wise, and just being able to be on screen with her, I was honored. I think we kept each other grounded throughout the whole thing.”
Britton, who had just wrapped Friday Night Lights and starred in the first season of American Horror Story, brought star power and gravitas to the role. Panettiere, though younger, was already a seasoned performer with decades of experience, from One Life to Live and Guiding Light to her breakout in Heroes and numerous film roles.
Working alongside Britton, Panettiere said, stood out even among her collaborations with Hollywood legends like Jennifer Aniston, Geena Davis, and Jessica Lange. “She’s fantastic. She plays that character so well. She’s so likable, and I’m so unlikable in moments. But I feel like we were able to infiltrate that with portions where you can feel for Juliette, you understand her, and see where her pain is coming from.”
More than a decade since its debut, Nashville remains beloved by fans who embraced both the drama and the music. With its arrival on Netflix, a new generation is set to discover the fiery chemistry between Rayna and Juliette—and the deep respect that fueled the performances behind the scenes.
