It was announced that the TV show Nashville will come to an end after season six. It had fans sad and wondering what was going to happen to their favorite characters. It always sucks when your favorite show ends because it’s been a part of your life for years and we all fall in love with the characters on the show.

Hayden Panettiere has been in Hollywood for a really long time. We remember watching her as a little girl on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit so many years ago. She has certainly come a long way over the years and she got her big break when she starred as Claire Bennet on the hit TV show Heroes. She beat many envious young actresses at the time, even Emma Stone who wanted the role for herself. She has had a lot of success over the years and she found a new home in Nashville. Now that the TV show is ending, however, and she doesn’t appear to have any new projects on the horizon and many people are wondering if this is going to be the end of Hayden’s career. Even with the success of Heroes, it never really sent her to superstardom, so it’s fair to say that her career has definitely slowed down over the years. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen once the show ends, but we are betting that her agent is working overtime right now before Hollywood decides to drop her.

She Thought Her Hollywood Life Was Over After Heroes

When her popular TV show Heroes was given the ax, Hayden Panettiere was already thinking that her career in the industry might be over. It forced her to go through a huge transition before she starred in the TV show Nashville.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks — there is a genuine possibility that no-one will ever take another chance on me. That was an important gap between Heroes and this show, a huge transition to make gracefully. I don't know how gracefully I did it, but somehow I did."

It says something about her own career that Hayden herself has questioned whether she can make a comeback after the show. She may be asking herself the same questions now that Nashville is ending. What will she do now? "Nashville was perfect timing with the perfect character," she added. "Juliette is so not the good girl that I played on Heroes, but she has to put on the facade as a good girl to get what she wants.” The fact that she played such a damaged character might give her range for new projects. "Juliette is tough, but when she cries, she means it. She's a very damaged young woman running from a dark past. How much more perfect could I ask for?"

Heroes Didn’t Do Much For Her Career

Heroes was certainly a big break for Hayden because she wasn’t doing anything significant before then. So, it put her in the spotlight for sure, but aside from that, it didn’t really launch her career in a big way. She transitioned quite well into adulthood much easier than most child actors. She was only 17 years old in the series Heroes so really, her adult career was just beginning. She was definitely one of the most recognizable stars on the show which certainly helped her, but as we said before, it didn’t launch her career in the way that she thought it would.

Her character was a fan favorite because she was a cheerleader who was also a hero. The problem was, the show wasn't popular for very long, which is probably why Hayden thought her career was doomed right after it ended. The ratings went way down after only the second season and that’s not great news for a young actress trying to make it in Hollywood. The problem was, Hayden spent four years of her life on a failing show. It wasn’t good news for the actress at all and now, she is on another show that’s ending.

She Wasn’t Their First Choice To Play Juliette Barnes

Hayden plays Juliette Barnes, the messed-up but highly successful country music singer on the show Nashville. Producers wanted a girl that could not only be a diva, but could show vulnerability as well. They weren’t entirely convinced that Hayden could pull it off.

“They obviously had these doubts about me, and you feel kind of like, ‘Are they going to be happy that they chose me?’”

In an interview, Panettiere addressed the worrisome waiting period after her audition. It wasn’t like her audition for Heroes when they practically hired her on the spot. In the end, they took a chance on the actress which was really good for Hayden. It does say something about her career when she said she wasn’t the first choice for the character. Sometimes, though, when someone takes a chance on you, it works out for the best. It’s just too bad that it’s another show that’s ending and she’s basically starting from scratch again. “I think at the age I'm at, it's really hard for a film career, and I'm at a point in my life where I thought it would be a good idea to be a part of a good show and to be able to finish school.”

She Has No Projects in The Works

If you've checked out her IMDB page lately, you will see it’s pretty barren. There are times when an actor will have more than one project going on at the same time, or they will have upcoming projects set up years in advance. Currently, the only thing that Hayden has is Nashville and it’s coming to an end this year. She has nothing in the works and no future projects listed. She’s going to have to start from scratch and head to auditions all over again.

“The frustrating part of it is that you're generally known for what you did last. I've had the privilege of doing some very cool independent films that, a lot of the time, the general public doesn't see unless you're at a film festival or you're into that kind of movie.”

It’s hard to say what Hayden is going to do now because right now she has nothing else going on and that can be a scary thing for an actress. She certainly doesn’t have to work if she doesn’t want to, she’s been a bankable star and has a famous athletic husband, but we don’t think that she wants to give up on her career quite yet.

Nashville Didn’t Make Her An A-Lister

Nashville certainly has a strong fanbase, especially when it comes to country music fans, but it didn’t launch anyone’s career into superstardom. There were a few veteran actors on the show, but for the most part, it was all new faces aside from Hayden’s. This was her second shot at a TV show and it didn’t launch her career any higher than it was before — it’s not exactly a good sign. We haven’t seen Hayden in a popular movie since possibly Scream 4. She's stated that when she was younger, she didn’t worry so much about failure and we probably all felt the same way when we were young. We had no worries about it because we were fearless. That changes over time and that’s actually a sad thing because it means that we take fewer chances in life.

“You just have this freedom when you're younger — this lack of concern to fail or do anything wrong. It comes with an ease that I've found has kind of deteriorated over time.”

We hope to see Hayden after Nashville, but things aren’t looking good for the actress and we wonder if she has her agent already looking for auditions.

Not Everyone Thinks She’s “All That”

When you're a young actress, the best thing that you can do for your career is to break into movies right away. That’s where the true gold is and A-list actors like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t exactly do TV shows. Not that there aren’t popular actors on TV shows, but everyone knows there is definitely a difference in star power when it comes to TV and movies. In her teens, Hayden had the opportunity to grab onto a career in movies when she did the movie I Love You Beth Cooper. It was yet another raunchy teen comedy in the same vein as Bring It On and American Pie. It’s movies like that that have launched many careers. Unfortunately, it didn’t strike as well as they thought it would. The critics ripped it apart and it didn’t even make back it’s $18 million budget. Hayden gave a lifeless portrayal of a character that didn’t even resonant with anyone onscreen. The movie, like her TV shows, did nothing for her career and may have even hurt it at that point. It might be a good thing that not too many people even remember the movie existed.

No One Watched Her Indie Films

The great thing about indie films is that they usually have grittier characters in them so an actress can show a lot more range in them. The other good thing about it is big huge stars rarely do them, so it leaves an opening for up and coming starlets to get their feet wet and vie for attention. It also helps though if people go out and watch these indie films if they don’t, it’s not exactly going to help your career. Hayden, unfortunately, has the bad luck of picking projects that no one has any interest in watching. So, although she may have shown amazing range, no one watched them. What’s worse is that they end up going straight to DVD which is the beginning of the end for some actresses. It just didn’t happen a couple of times either, they happened to her too often. Even Scream 4 had a difficult time making it to theatres because fans weren’t happy with some of the choices of actors in the movie like Emma Roberts. Hayden’s indie choices were flops so they also didn’t make any kind of impact on her career like she hoped they would.

Hayden Was A Victim Of Typecasting

When you are a teen and you are on a hit TV show, you better hope that you’re not going to be typecast because you may never be able to work again. That’s one thing that James Van Der Beek realized when Dawson’s Creek ended. All anyone ever thought of when they saw him was Dawson. So, when you are cast as a good girl cheerleader, you better hope you have other roles that are different otherwise people may not be able to see you as anything else but the “good girl” character. With her sweet looks and her blonde hair, she was the perfect cheerleader typecast. After the show ended, Hayden had difficulty getting cast in roles that she really wanted because no one could see beyond the blonde cheerleader that she played. She told Movieline,

"Playing such a specific role — young, female, all-American cheerleader — you definitely tend to get typecast."

She also talked about the situation during a press conference in 2007, "I think I've always been categorized, and sometimes typecast, because I'm blonde, and people look at me as either the popular cheerleader type or just the blonde, and you don't play villains when you're blonde, unless you're Sharon Stone.”

She Couldn’t Make A Career As A Musician

One thing that we noticed on Nashville was that Hayden has a really nice voice. We had no idea that the girl could sing so well. It definitely opens new doors for roles if you also have a singing voice as well. When she was transitioning as an adult actor, it was also during a time when many actors were switching back and forth to singing careers. There was Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, just to name a few, and it would have been the perfect time for Hayden to do the same thing. She was already being featured on soundtracks of a few films so it seemed like doing music at the same time would be a good fit for her as well. Her goal was to release an album in 2008, but it all crashed and burned for the actress because of creative differences with her label. It wasted a lot of her time and energy that could have been used to get more acting gigs and it even stalled her professional momentum because while she was making music, she wasn’t in any films or TV shows. It ended up being all for nothing. She talked about the failure in an interview with Vulture in 2013, "I was a puppet, basically. It wasn't me."

She Moved Away From Hollywood

When she got cast in the role of Juliette on Nashville, she decided to move her family there as well so that she would be right there when it was time to work. She wanted to be immersed in the production in Music City. Sure, that might make sense in one way because you are readily available for filming when the show needs you and you don’t have to worry about traveling when you have a family, but it also took her away from the buzz of Hollywood. Being away from Hollywood and all the opportunities there could have had a permanent effect on her career. She loved her new home in Nashville and told The Telegraph,

“There’s a real feeling of community and Southern hospitality. It feels much more genuine than LA and I have never had an easier time making friends.”

She also told Southern Living, “Even if something happens to the show, I know this is a place I want to call home.” It sounds like she’s planning on staying there after the show ends which may not be the best idea for someone that has a career on the downwind. It might be best to be back in LA these days.

She Paid For Her Parents’ Divorce

Hayden is one child actress that can say that she is scandal free which is really surprising. Although she was also a teen in Hollywood, she did not go through a period where she was partying or driving home drunk. For the most part, it appeared as if she grew up in the healthiest way possible. It seemed though that her parent’s marital drama was something that went far beyond anything Lohan’s mother could have cooked up. Her parent's scandal was something that often raised eyebrows and thankfully it didn’t seem to hurt Hayden’s career at the time. But it did hurt her pocketbook. The two of them battled it out in court for a whopping eight years and they sent the bill for their ridiculous behavior to Hayden. She may be willing to help her parents out, but she’s not close to them either.

“Some people ask me whether I'm a 'mama's girl' or a 'papa's girl.' I'm nobody's girl. My brother clings to our parents; I'm the one shoving them out the door.”

She was more than happy to help her parents out, but it also cost her $100,000. It’s sad when the child is the one dragged into drama caused by the parents.

She Should Have Avoided A Lifetime Original Movie

Sometimes, being in a Lifetime original movie has helped actors out in their careers. It usually depends on the story as well as the acting involved. There have even been big-name actresses that lent their talent out to create a story that needed to be told. At one point in Hayden’s career, she decided to do the same. Unfortunately for her, she picked the wrong project yet again and the timing was just way off. We wonder if it’s her that is picking the projects or her agent. She may need to get a new agent. In 2011, she starred in Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy which was a true crime story about an American girl who was accused of murder in Italy. There were problems right from the beginning, especially since there were real-life people involved like the parents of the victim. They didn’t want the movie made and they petitioned Lifetime to pull the film. Even Hayden was criticized for taking the role which isn’t exactly helpful to someone’s career. The crew “didn’t feel welcome” in Perugia where they were filming and the whole film was overshadowed by criticism that no one noticed what a great job Hayden did in the role.

Her Talent Is Constantly Being Overlooked

We know that when she auditioned for the role in Nashville that she wasn’t the producers first choice. They weren’t sure that she could pull the role off and that’s a bad sign. It was a good thing for her that they were willing to give her a chance or who knows where her career would be right now. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that her talent has been overlooked. Between people not bothering to watch her indie films to the Lifetime movie debacle, it seems that anytime that she tries to show the world that she has real talent, it gets overlooked. It’s too bad as well because she has had a lot of roles that showed off her diverse range that she may have had an opportunity to go further.

“I've always wanted to be a Meryl Streep or a Natalie Portman. I want to do all kinds of different movies, to be a chameleon. I don't want to limit myself.”

She was nominated for two Golden Globes during her time with Nashville, but she may have stayed on the show for too long. It’s too late to save her career now that the show isn’t doing well. She’s had big dreams over the years and we’re not sure how it’s going to work out for her.

She Should Have Bailed On The Sinking Ship

The great thing about being part of a show like Nashville was that Hayden got to prove that she could be a badass and she wasn’t just a typecast cheerleader. She was also able to show off her musical ability to all those who didn’t think that she could do it. She got the opportunity to work on the show with the amazing actress Connie Britton. Sharing the spotlight with the Friday Night Lights star certainly wouldn’t hurt her career.

The problem is, Hayden may have stayed on the show for too long. Britton knew when it was time to leave the show and she went out at the end of season five. Her departure from the show never made sense to fans and that may have been why the show started to fail. Britton knew when to bail and Hayden probably should have done the same. Instead, she stayed on a ship that was starting to sink and now that the show is ending we’re not sure what she’s going to do. She certainly doesn’t have the same career as Britton who seems to be on numerous shows at one time. Britton had plenty of projects to move on to while Hayden has none.

She Took Time Off To Seek Treatment

After Hayden had her daughter, she suffered from postpartum depression. She wouldn’t be the first actress to suffer from the depression and she did what she could to raise awareness about it. She even used the topic on the show Nashville as her character Juliette also suffered from postpartum depression. At the time, she had to take some time off from the show to make sure she got treatment and healed properly.

“I can very much relate to and something that I know a lot of women experience.

Which is, you know, when they tell you about postpartum depression, you think ‘okay, I feel negative feelings toward my child, I want to injure my child, I want to hurt my child,’ I’ve never ever had those feelings. And some women do. But you don’t realize what broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on. And it’s something that I think needs to be talked about and women need to know that they’re not alone and that it does, you know, heal,” Panettiere said. It’s great that she was able to move beyond that but taking time off in Hollywood can make you lose any momentum that you may have had.

References: digitalspy.com, nickiswift.com, biography.com, globalnews.ca/