Charles Esten, who worked alongside Hayden Panettiere on the ABC drama Nashville, remembered their time together and close friendship in a tribute following her tragic death on Sunday at 36.
In an Instagram post, Esten shared a series of photos with Panettiere
and cast members. In the caption, he wrote that he and his wife, Patty Hanson, were “heartbroken” by the loss of their dear friend.
“I will never forget the first time I met her,” Esten continued. “In a sound stage office in Hollywood, I was finishing up my very first NASHVILLE audition. I had read two Deacon scenes before pulling out my guitar and singing two songs. I said my goodbyes and, hoping I’d done well, went to open the door to leave. Instead of swinging all the way out, the door bumped into somebody. Kinda hard.”
On the other side of the door was Paniettiere, who “in full Juliette Barnes mode,” had been listening to his audition with her ear to the door. Upon seeing him, “her face instantly bloomed into the most beautiful smile,” Esten recalled. “Eyes twinkling, she clapped her hands and said, ‘That was so good!!'”
He said that at that moment, there was “nothing in the world I needed to hear more than that,” and he told her that he and his “HEROES-watching family” were fans of her work and was grateful for her “very kind words.” As it was her turn to walk into the audition room, Esten joked, “See you on the set!”
Of course, Esten would go on to play the role of country singer Deacon Claybourne on the popular series. On his first day of work, Panettiere walked up to her co-star and “with that magical grin said, ‘See you on the set!'”
Esten said the pair became “fast friends.” He added, “She was, of course, extraordinarily talented, infusing her larger-than-life character with all the heart, charisma, humor, whip-smart intelligence, and flat-out magic that were, alongside whatever troubles and pain she carried, a part of her own personal palette. What a great gift it was to act with her, sing with her, and to just be her friend.”
Panettiere’s character Juliette Barnes brought some of country radio’s worst-kept secrets to the forefront and inspired many female artists to no longer stay silent. “Her bravery in taking on a character that was going to confront so many ugly truths about the industry deserves to be remembered,” said artist Kalie Shorr, who helped lead a #TimesUp movement in Nashville. “She held up a mirror to the city of Nashville, and I truly believe it forced the industry’s hand to become a safer place for women.”
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