Hayden Panettiere pulled back the curtain on her \u201cdeeply uncomfortable\u201d dynamic with Connie Britton on the Nashville set.<\/p>\n
In her new This Is Me: A Reckoning memoir, Panettiere noted that her \u201ccharacter wasn\u2019t intended to be the show\u2019s star \u2014 not even close\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old added, \u201cThat honour went to Connie, whose Rayna Jaymes was in the twilight of her career, facing a dramatic turning point thanks to yours truly,\u201d reports Page Six<\/a>.<\/p>\n Panettiere played country star Juliette Barnes on the drama series, which ran from 2012 to 2018, while Britton, 59, played rival singer James.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, after the pilot, it was clear that my billing had gone way up,\u201d the Heroes star recalled. \u201cI went from maybe number five in terms of importance to nipping at Connie\u2019s heels\u201d.<\/p>\n She recalled being \u201cdeeply uncomfortable with this development\u201d.<\/p>\n Britton, her former co-star explained, was \u201cin her 40s with three Emmy nominations under her belt\u201d and \u201cwas also a new mum\u201d.<\/p>\n Panettiere wrote, \u201cI was 23 years old. \u2026 This should have been her time to shine, and while it was in many respects, I was terrified of making Connie worry that I \u2014 not my character \u2014 was trying to compete with her\u201d.<\/p>\n She went on to describe once attempting to make it clear to Britton she had no plans to \u201cstep on her toes\u201d.<\/p>\n The former soap star remembered, \u201cWe were directed to saunter toward the mic stand and \u2014 at the same time \u2014 reach to grab it. This would insinuate our characters\u2019 rivalry\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI always made sure to grab the mic under Connie\u2019s hand, showing her I came in peace and with respect. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if she noticed, but I did.\u201d<\/p>\n Britton\u2019s spokespeople did not immediately respond to Page Six\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Panettiere\u2019s memoir, which also name-dropped ex-boyfriend Milo Ventimiglia and more A-listers, hit shelves nearly one year after she spoke to Entertainment Weekly<\/a> about working with Britton.<\/p>\n When Panettiere\u2019s character acted \u201cso passive-aggressive\u201d to Britton\u2019s in their first scene together, she \u201ckept apologising\u201d.<\/p>\n She recalled, \u201c[I was] going, \u2018I am so sorry!\u2019 Because that was our first experience together, and I didn\u2019t want to step on toes. Sometimes it gets real, very real, you know?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Clarifying that Britton was \u201camazing\u201d and \u201cso supportive,\u201d Panettiere wrote, \u201cIt was difficult to play that sometimes, that competitiveness, where we were in opposition and against each other\u201d.<\/p>\n